


Remus' Return to Hogwarts

by phoenix316



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-12
Updated: 2021-01-15
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:46:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 55,823
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28035630
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phoenix316/pseuds/phoenix316
Summary: Remus Lupin suffers from survivor's guilt after he survives the Battle of Hogwarts and his wife does not. Five years later, he still has not moved on with his life, putting his efforts into raising his son Teddy. Finally his mother in law, Andromeda, decides enough is enough and conspires with Minerva McGonagall to get Remus to start living life again by resuming his teaching position at Hogwarts.
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Remus Lupin
Comments: 35
Kudos: 63





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is an AU fic set 5 years after the final battle, school year 2003-4. For the AU, Remus survived the final battle, but Tonks still did not. I feel this is how it should have happened, that he deserved a chance at a real life, one where he was not ostracized for being a werewolf. I have used actual calendars and the moon cycle to choose dates, including dates of lunar eclipses, to make this as true to life as possible. Not every new day gets a subheading with the date, but if it's a big jump or not obvious, there will be dates.

August 1, 2003

Minerva looked up at the bird chirping in the tree. One thing she enjoyed about the summers was that she could have tea in Andromeda's garden, rather than in her office at Hogwarts. She didn't have anything against her office, she just enjoyed the change of scenery. She took a sip of her tea. "How's Teddy?" she asked. She had a soft spot for the boy just as she did for Remus.

"You wouldn't believe how much he's changed since you saw him last. I can hardly believe he'll be starting primary school in the autumn." That had been one of the many changes made in the wizarding world since the war. So many children had lost a parent, that primary schools had been founded to ensure that children would be ready to attend Hogwarts.

"Already? It seems like just yesterday he was learning to walk," Minerva said wistfully.

Andromeda sighed. "I know. And I'm sure it will seem like tomorrow when he goes off to Hogwarts."

"And Remus?" Minerva asked after a protracted silence. She knew that while sweeping reforms had been made to how lycanthropes were treated, that Remus had yet to settle into any sort of career, not wanting the burden of raising his son to fall on Andromeda.

"He won't discuss it with me. He does help out some, but it's not a real job, and his pride won't let him accept any full-time job that I would offer him," Andromeda said sadly.

Minerva grinned slyly and leaned forward in her seat. "I haven't advertised it yet, but I have a teaching post vacant, Defense Against the Dark Arts, and I think that he would be the perfect candidate."

"So there was more to this tea than catching up?" Andromeda asked, a twinkle in her eye.

"Just an added bonus. It's tedious having to interview new staff and then to ensure they are prepared for the school year. This would benefit everyone. I would have asked him sooner, but I knew that he would have used Teddy as an excuse when the war was over." Minerva had hoped to encourage him to return to teaching following the war, but she knew that between his grief and his obligations to Teddy that he would have refused. Now enough time had passed that she was sure he could be enticed to return to Hogwarts, especially with Teddy starting primary school. It would be easier for Remus to work without the guilt of leaving Teddy alone all day.

Andromeda considered Minerva's plan for a few moments. "That he would have. You will of course need to find a way to put this that he can't argue his way out of it." She took another sip of her tea. "Teddy will still be a sticking point since he will presumably have afternoon and weekend duties."

Minerva mulled this statement. "I'm sure we can work out a schedule where he will still have time to spend with Teddy. And there would be nothing to keep Teddy from spending some time on the weekends at Hogwarts. I'm sure that he would enjoy the Quidditch matches." She tapped her finger thoughtfully to her lip. "I see no reason I can't have a Floo connection arranged from his private quarters to here. And there would be no need for him to take all his meals at Hogwarts... Of course, this presumes you are willing to help."

Andromeda replied without hesitation, "Of course I am. He's needed to get on with his life for years, but he keeps holding himself back and nothing I've said has made any difference."

"And teaching at Hogwarts will do precisely that." Minerva smiled, quite proud of herself. "Now, when did you say he would be back?"

Andromeda checked the time. "Should be soon. They were spending the day at the zoo."

"Then this is as good a time as any to offer him the job," Minerva said smugly before taking another sip of her tea. She had learned many things from Albus Dumbledore and she would use them to ensure that Remus would be the next Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts.

* * *

Hogwarts. He couldn't believe he was back. It was the site of some of the happiest moments of his life, but also of his darkest. When Minerva had asked him to rejoin the faculty, he had been incredibly conflicted and almost turned her down, but in the end he knew that teaching had been the best job he had ever had and that it was something at which he excelled. It would mean time away from Teddy, but Andromeda had been very supportive of his decision to teach and Minerva had no problems granting him time away from the castle on weekends and some evenings and even said she would look into a Floo connection to Andromeda's house to make travel easier.

He glanced at the gates and then on to the castle. Even though there were no signs of the death and destruction from five years ago, there were still reminders. He could see places where the stone had been replaced or reshaped, lending an air of newness. This was where his lovely Dora had fallen; this was where he had nearly died along with her. He closed his eyes to force back the emotions threatening to overtake him. He shouldn't have survived and there had been times when he wished he hadn't, but then he looked at Teddy and was thankful his son had at least one parent, though he wished it had been Dora who had survived instead.

Remus picked up his suitcase, levitated his trunk, and crossed through the gates. At least this time he would be arriving before the students and should have plenty of time to prepare for classes. There were still two weeks before classes convened, which would also give him time to get to know his colleagues. He didn't know the new Transfiguration or Potions professors, and he didn't think to ask if there had been any other staff changes. 

He found Minerva waiting for him at the main entrance. She had a broad grin on her face. "Remus, I'm so glad you chose to rejoin us."

He smiled at her, holding back the flood of emotions trying to overtake him. "It feels strangely good to be back."

She guessed what he was alluding to and patted him on the upper arm. "I can understand. It was difficult for a lot of us returning that first year. Now, you're just in time for the start of term staff meeting and social," she said trying to change the subject to something happier.

He left his bags in the entrance for the house elves to take care of and walked with Minerva to the staff room.

Once there she looked around the room and waved over a middle-aged witch dressed in vibrant Kente cloth robes."Nahima Bimwadai, this is Remus Lupin, our new Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor. Remus, Nahima is our Potions Mistress."

"A pleasure to meet you, Nahima," he said as he offered her his hand.

She shook his hand delicately. "The pleasure is mine, Remus," she replied with a musical lilt. "I look forward to helping you this term, and hopefully for longer. I have mastered the brewing of the Wolfsbane Potion, but I have been studying the research on Lycanthropy and Lycanthrope treatments and have some ideas based on the remedies I learned growing up for the African werehyena, or boundas as my mother called it. It will be interesting to see how similar the two afflictions are." 

"Alright, everybody. Let's settle down and get the meeting out of the way, and we can socialize after," Minerva announced. She then conducted a quick headcount. "We seem to be one short," she said quietly. "Tippy!" she called out. When the house-elf popped next to her, she said, "Tippy could you go and remind—" There was a clatter in the hallway. "Nevermind, Tippy. You may go."

Hermione entered the room, trying to look dignified, but clearly having run to the staff room from wherever she had been. "I'm sorry I'm late," she said bashfully.

Minerva arched an eyebrow. "Well, you're here now. Let's try not to make a habit of it this year, shall we?"

Hermione flushed as she found a seat at the table next to Pomona Sprout.

Remus couldn't help the small smile that crept across his lips. Even as a professor, Hermione still seemed harried, and this was before the term began.

"First of all, we have one staffing change this year. I'm delighted to announce that Remus Lupin has agreed to return to Hogwarts this year. He will be taking over Defense of the Dark Arts from Deandra Watts, so welcome back, Remus. We'll take care of introductions after the meeting, if you don't mind."

He didn't mind. He knew most everyone, either from his previous teaching tenure or from the Order.

Minerva went over the Out of Bounds list, which had had several areas removed now that reconstruction was completed. She handed out a calendar with a list of important dates such as Quidditch matches, school holidays, exams and Hogsmeade weekends. She then passed out schedules and Remus was pleasantly surprised that Mondays and Wednesdays were the only days that he had late afternoon classes.

"One final note, this year the Triwizard Tournament will be held here. I don't see any reason to cancel Quidditch, so that will continue as normal. The events will be held the same time frame as last time, more or less. We will have to work things around the Quidditch schedule to ensure that we don't have two events scheduled for the same weekend. There will be a few other changes from last time: Since reconstruction is mostly complete, Durmstrang and Beauxbatons will be provided dormitories in the castle and their students will also be attending classes with ours. Durmstrang classes are held in English, so language should not be an issue. I have been informed that the Beauxbatons students either understand English or will be using a charm to help them understand the classwork. Those of you who know French, please inform your students when they arrive, which will be near the end of October with the champions chose on Halloween," Minerva explained.

Remus hoped that this tournament would be as uneventful as the ones held at Beauxbatons and Durmstrang compared to the last one Hogwarts had hosted. Of course, there was no madman waiting in the wings this time, so he doubted there would be any difficulties.

"As always, duty rosters will be posted on the Staff Room bulletin board on Fridays for the following week. Requisition requests are due to me by this Friday; please prioritize if there is anything you need for the start of term. Any questions?" She paused a moment and looked around the table. "No? Good. Then the meeting is adjourned and you can finish catching up with each other about your summer breaks."

As everyone started rising, Minerva said, "Remus, a word if you please."

He joined her on the side of the table away from the snacks and beverages. "Here is the key to the storeroom. Deandra taught a decent class and left plenty of supplies behind, but if you need anything urgently for the start of term, let me know."

He smiled warmly. "I'm sure I'll make due. This is a far better start of term than I had last time." Last time he had been forced to rush to get ready for his first classes using a modification of Professor Quirrell's curriculum and relying heavily on the textbook. Even though it had been a decade since he last taught, he remembered quite a bit of what he had done. And he had the advantage that his students would have had the same teacher the previous four years and a cohesive learning experience.

"That it is. And hopefully it will be a much less eventful term and you will be able to stay for longer," she added optimistically.

He smiled brightly at this prospect. "Thanks to Kingsley, and Nahima, that doesn't seem like it will be an issue. Thank you again for offering me this job." With Kingsley running the Ministry of Magic, he had pushed for changes to the way lycanthropes were treated. They were all to be provided Wolfsbane Potion and education programs were set up to help them find work. With everything that had occurred with Voldemort running things, there were no shortage of jobs. There had been little pushback given the number of people who had been infected by Greyback and his ilk and the realization the lycanthropes had been so eager to join Voldemort because of their ostracization from society.

"We want our students to get the best education possible and you were one of the best Defense Against the Dark Arts professors this school has seen in close to twenty years. When Deandra left, I knew you were there best candidate for the job. Now, go mingle and catch up with everyone." She shooed him towards the others before slipping out of the staff room.

He looked over the staff. Most he knew from either his previous term teaching or from the Order. Even though there were a few familiar faces missing, it felt good to be back at Hogwarts. He was walking to the table to partake of the snacks, when in bumped into Hermione, who he hadn't seen. "I beg your pardon."

"It's quite alright. I should have been looking where I was going," she apologized.

"So how has teaching been? It's been a couple of years since I saw you last." He had always liked Hermione and thought she was a great influence on Harry and of course he knew that she had been instrumental in Harry defeating Voldemort.

"Very rewarding. Much more so than working in the Ministry."

He chuckled at that comment. "I have to admit I was surprised you had accepted a Ministry job."

"Well, when the Minister for Magic asks for your help, it's kind of hard to say no, isn't it?"

"I suppose it is." But Remus had done just that. He was not one to enjoy living in the limelight and had begged off when Kingsley had tried to recruit him to be the outreach person for the lycanthrope community.

"But after a couple of years, I realized how tedious and unfulfilling it had become. Not to mention I wasn't getting much respect. I ran into Minerva in Hogsmeade one day and we got to talking and next thing I knew I had agreed to teach Transfiguration. She even thinks there's a good chance I can learn to become an Animagus," she said proudly. 

Remus chuckled softly. "I got ambushed the same sort of way. I think she learned a lot from Albus. I joined her and Andromeda for tea and next thing I knew, I was agreeing to come back to Hogwarts." She had masterfully countered every single one of his arguments as to why he shouldn't resume his teaching position and Remus had found he had no choice but to say yes.

"I think it's a brilliant choice. I know we learned a lot the year you taught here and I wish it could have been for longer," she said wistfully. "How's Teddy?"

"He's doing very well and will be starting primary school in a couple of weeks. Minerva has made arrangements making it possible for me to spend most evenings and nights at home," he said simply. "It's a bit strange, but it still feels good to be back." He smiled warmly at her. "I suppose I should introduce myself to the others, but perhaps we can meet for tea tomorrow and finish catching up?"

"That sounds like a great idea. I'll see you around," Hermione responded before seeking out Filius Flitwick.

Remus received warm greetings from his former colleagues and Pomona introduced him to the new Muggle Studies and Care of Magical Creatures professors, Anthony Davies and Wilhemina Grubbly-Plank. He was also quite surprised to find that Binns was no longer teaching History Magic and that position was now filled by Tacitus MacTavish, recently retired from the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad and head of Slytherin. Reginald Bagnold, the Ancient Runes professor, was the head of Gryffindor, much to Remus' relief. A part of him had wondered if he would have been given those duties in addition to teaching.

Once he had greeted everyone, Nahima came over to talk to him. "I wonder if you might have some time to answer some questions?"

He really didn’t want to be rude, but given her previous enthusiasm he had a good idea what her questions were going to be about and he really did have quite a bit to attend to, not to mention he wasn't sure he was mentally ready to have an in depth discussion about his condition. "I have a little time before I should start preparing my lessons."

"Thank you. I'll try to be brief. I have studied the werehyena extensively, and I would like to find out how much it differs from a proper English werewolf." She could not hide the excitement in her voice or twinkle in her eye.

Remus suppressed the urge to sigh. He had the unnerving feeling that he was being treated like the most coveted toy at Christmas. "Well, I don't know much about werehyenas, but I'm a bit of a subject matter expert on werewolves," he said, trying not to sound bitter about what he was.

"How painful is the transformation?" she asked gently.

He never really felt comfortable talking about himself, and definitely not talking about his condition, despite the fact that everyone knew what he was. "Well, without Wolfsbane, it's excruciating. I think the pain may be part of what drives my kind to madness as the wolf. With the Wolfsbane, it's bearable."

"But there is still pain?" she probed.

"There is, but nothing like there is without." He knew that this type of question was necessary for a researcher, but he was still very uncomfortable speaking about his affliction.

She tapped her lips in thought. "Hmmm… I have a few ideas that might mitigate the pain, but we'll have to see how they interact with the Wolfsbane." Looking up at him, she asked, "You do not mind me using an untested potion on you?"

"If it makes the Wolfsbane potion better, not at all." He knew that someone, somewhere would have to be the test subject, and why not him, though he didn't hold out a ton of hope as Damocles Belby had stopped improving the potion.

"And the wolf, does it always sleep between transformations?" she asked cautiously

Remus considered this question. He knew that some of his kind, like Greyback, had done nothing to restrain the wolf, but most did. "For the most part. I can control the wolf, but as the moon reaches full, I do feel its presence more strongly. And of course without the Wolfsbane Potion the wolf is in full control when I'm transformed. It's always a part of us. It just depends on how much we want to control it."

"That is very interesting. Do you know of any who have transformed outside the full moon?"

This thought horrified Remus as he had seen what Greyback did, even in human form and his eyes widened in shock. "No. Not that I have heard of. Why?"

"The werehyena is more of a shapeshifter. Though it is not the same as an Animagus," she explained. "It is a curse and because of the danger the werehyena poses, we have devised treatments to keep them from transforming. Perhaps there is a way to modify those treatments to help werewolves."

Remus dared not get his hopes up. The thought of being able to live without transforming into a monster every month was something he dreamed about for almost forty years. "Any improvements you can make will be much appreciated. I know you have more questions, but I really would like some time to get settled today."

"Of course. I apologize for taking so much of your time. I will give you a few days and then we can set up a longer interview before term starts. I have just never met one of your kind before, and I find it all so exciting to meet you."

He smiled at the amount of excitement she was showing. She had to be the first person who had ever been excited to meet a werewolf, most had reviled him once they found out what he was. "I look forward to it, Nahima." He then slipped out of the Staff Room to begin his preparation for the upcoming term. First he would examine the classroom and then the storeroom to see what resources he had before developing a lesson plan.

* * *

Hermione was quite surprised to see Remus as the new Defense teacher. It was a pleasant surprise because she knew that she could talk to him as an equal. During the days of the Order, they had had many lively discussions. It's not that the other teachers disrespected her, but most of them had taught her the entire time she was at Hogwarts and it was still a bit awkward to be working with them – even after her having taught all her class marvelously the previous year.

She was embarrassed by having yet again been tardy to a staff meeting. She just couldn't help getting absorbed in a book. At least this time she hadn't needed Tippy to tell her she was late.

After the social she went to her office to review her lesson plans, though she knew she wasn't likely to make many changes. She had amended them throughout the previous school term. Once satisfied with her lesson plans, she set to work on the requisition forms. That took her the rest of the afternoon and she decided to enjoy the summer sun and take a walk by the Black Lake before dinner.

At first she was surprised that Remus wasn't there for dinner. They had enjoyed a rather nice discussion over lunch that she had hoped to continue. Then she realized that he must have gone home to spend time with Teddy. It would make sense that he would be allowed more time away since he had a young son. None of the other professors had school age children.

She spent the following morning conducting research in the library. It still remained one of her favorite places at Hogwarts and since there were no students, there was no one to disturb her. She got lost reading old treatises on Transfiguration theory until Irma Pince reminded her it was time for lunch. As they walked to lunch they got in a discussion about historical treatises that continued through the meal.

After lunch, Hermione returned to the library until nearly tea time when she retired to the Staff Room. When Remus didn't show, she decided to take tea to him. With a wave of her wand, the tea set floated in front of her as she walked to the Defense Against the Arts classroom. She found Remus at his desk, quill to parchment. "I hope you don't mind that I brought tea to you."

He looked up and took off his reading glasses. "Is it that time already? I must have lost track."

She smiled softly. "I wouldn't worry about it. I have a habit of losing track of the time." She placed the tea set on his desk and conjured one of the student's stools into a more comfortable chair.

"I gathered that from Minerva's comment yesterday," he said jovially. He placed his quill and glasses aside on the desk.

She blushed. "You know me, there's always something else to learn. I just find it so easy to get lost in a book."

"I know exactly what you mean." He paused a moment as she poured out tea. "So, the Ministry wasn't quite for you? You seemed to be doing some good work, and I for one thank you for that."

"Well, it wasn't just me. Harry and Kingsley had a lot to do with the public opinion side of things. I was more of the detail person. And we couldn't have done it without your help. Your knowledge of lycanthrope grievances really made a difference." Kingsley and the members of the Order had come to realize how stigmatizing and marginalizing the lycanthropes over the years was a bad thing. After all, there was the Wolfsbane Potion which rendered lycanthropes mostly harmless. Given the number of new cases which had cropped up during the war, the tipping point of public opinion was finally reached. All lycanthropes were to be offered treatment, and if required education, so that they could continue to be productive members of society. It had taken time, but eventually people began to realize that other than full moon, lycanthropes were just like everyone else.

He smiled sadly. "Well, the right thing has been done. But after that?" he prompted, wanting to hear more about her life so that he wouldn't have to talk about his.

"I tried to find my place for a couple of years and then gave up and went traveling for a while, taking a bit of a gap year to find myself. I stopped a few places in the Med, studied with some of the witches and wizards I've read about in the various journals. I was in Hogsmeade killing time waiting for Harry to join me for dinner when I ran into Minerva. We just got to talking. She asked me about my travels and when she learned I had spent some time studying with Signora Tivola, she mentioned that the Transfiguration Professor wasn't working out and wondered if I might like to give it a go. I was going to look for a job anyway, and I figured Hogwarts was as good a place as any. It's the perfect place to do research, and I figured I might have a knack for it because I was always helping Harry and Ron."

He used this opportunity to continue the discussion. "So how is Harry doing? I haven't heard from him in a while."

"He and Ginny are doing well. He did amazing in Auror training, top of his class. I knew he always had it in him; he just needed to find the right motivation. She's still playing with the Harpies, but I think this might be her last season." Ginny had hinted that she was ready to settle down and start a family.

"And Ron?" he asked.

"He's still working with George," Hermione said, not entirely keeping the bitterness out of her voice.

"So, the two of you…?" he asked curiously.

She shook her head. "I don't know that was ever going to work. We tried, but, well, we're pretty different. Besides, he wasn't the type who was going to wait for me to find myself. He married Lavender Brown about the time I started working here. So what about you?" she asked, finally able to turn the tables.

He shrugged. "There's not much to say. Once the lycanthrope issues were sorted out, I was able to devote more time to Teddy. I've been helping Andromeda as much as I can, but small children take a lot of time. And as I already told you, Minerva and Andromeda conspired to get me to take the job here."

"Well, I think this is where you belong. I've always wondered how much better off we might have been if you had been able to stay on." If it hadn't been for their textbooks and her determination to learn everything she could from them, she wasn't sure they would have had the tools to defeat Voldemort.

"I would say the three of you did alright. There weren't many adult wizards who could have remained in hiding as long as you did."

She couldn't help blushing at his praise. "Well, it had to be done. If we hadn't, if we had failed to find the horcruxes…"

To change the subject, he asked, "So is there any advice you'd care to offer me on the students? Any rivalries I might have to be mindful of?"

She knew he was referring to something similar to the rivalry Harry and Draco had had. She shook her head. "No. They are a pretty good group all things considered. I think the sixth and seventh years are some of the most motivated students I've seen, though that probably has to do with the fact they put up with a year of the Carrows. The younger students are good, mind you, I didn't mean anything by that. But the House rivalries seem a lot less muted than when I was a student."

"I can see how that would happen. You see it from the adults as well. Pureblood superiority has really died down. Everyone's afraid that if they say anything about it, they'll be pegged as a Voldemort supporter." There was an awkward silence. "Well, I don't mean to be rude, but I really do need to get back to class preparations so I can be home in time for dinner. Why don't we meet again for tea tomorrow, and you can tell me about some of your travels?" he offered.

She smiled at him. "I'd like that. Here or in the Staff Room?" She had enjoyed talking with Remus. Talking with him felt like talking to an equal, unlike when she would converse with her colleagues who as often as not started lecturing about whichever subject she tried to bring up for discussion.

"How about the Staff Room for a little change of scenery? I'll try to be on time tomorrow," he teased, alluding to her tardiness the previous day.

* * *

By the end of the week, Remus felt he was well prepared for the start of term. Minerva had found his old lesson plans in the castle archives, and he had been able to modify them. He also spent a fair amount of time in the library looking for supplemental information for his NEWT classes. Hermione had been more than happy to assist him as he found her in the library more often than not. She seemed to have almost as good a knowledge about the books as Irma Pince.

As he was returning to his office from lunch, he saw the Potions Mistress. "Nahima, do you have a minute?"

"Remus! Of course I do. What can I do for you?" she asked politely.

"I'll have time next week if you want to get together and talk about improvements to the potion," he offered knowing that he couldn’t avoid it much longer

"Would you have time this afternoon? That would give me time this weekend to collect some supplies."

As he didn't have anything pressing, he said, "Sure. Lead the way." He was both nervous and excited about the prospects of the Wolfsbane Potion being improved, especially given her excitement at combining some of her traditions with the work that had already been done.

Nahima spent over two hours questioning him about facets of being a lycanthrope. She also checked his reflexes and coordination, stating she would like to do so again as the full moon approached and then waned to see if there were any changes. She had spoken excitedly about various plants and herbs the used for treating werehyenas in her village and how she looked forward to incorporating them into the wolfsbane potion. He didn't understand most of it as Potions had not been his best subject and Herbology had never really interested him, but he found her excitement contagious.

"I don't want to make any changes for your first transformation. I would like to examine you after you transform," she said.

"Examine me?" he asked with some trepidation. Logically, he knew that he was perfectly harmless if he took the potion, but he preferred to be alone when transformed.

"I have never seen an English werewolf before and being able to examine you may be quite helpful. I have been assured that the Wolfsbane Potion renders a werewolf completely harmless; is that incorrect?"

He shook his head. "No. I'm completely harmless if I have the full dose of Wolfsbane before the full moon. I just… I don't like anyone to see me like that," he admitted quietly without meeting her eyes.

She placed a reassuring hand on his knee. "I will be completely discreet, but it is for the best."

He knew what his answer had to be. "Of course. I will transform in my office."

"Actually, I have arranged a room near my laboratory that has an unbreakable half-silvered mirror so that I can observe the transformation."

"Observe?" he said rather loudly, unable to keep the shock out of his voice. This was an even bigger violation of his privacy than her seeing him in his wolf form.

"There is much to be learned by witnessing the transformation, to see how your anatomy changes as you morph into the wolf." Sensing his trepidation, she added, "I will be completely discreet."

He tried his best to smile. He knew she was right, but that didn't change the fact that he found it a violation of his privacy. "Yes, well, I guess I'll meet you in your office on the tenth. Now, I should be getting home. I hope this has provided you with some good information."

"Indeed it has. I can hardly wait to get started. But I will only experiment so long as you do not object."

He nodded at her. "Thank you." As he left Nahima's office for his quarters, he tried to get his mind to calm down. She would see him at his most vulnerable, something few others had ever seen, and he wasn't sure how he felt about that. He knew that it was in the name of scientific research, but it still felt like a violation of his privacy. His lycanthropy was the one part of his life that he continually tried to repress.

* * *

For the remainder of the time leading up to the start of term, Remus and Hermione would meet in the Staff Room for tea on a daily basis. She even offered Remus some advice on the NEWT curriculum for his class based on her experiences on the run from the Death Eaters. Though hopefully it was nothing any of the students would ever have to use.

As they were finishing tea on Friday the 29th of August, she said sadly, "I guess this will be the last tea for a while with classes starting next week."

"Not necessarily. Do you have any afternoons off? Minerva accommodated my schedule, and I only have late classes on Monday and Wednesday." He enjoyed their conversations, and he was sure that being able to have them during the school year would be quite helpful.

"I have Tuesday afternoons off, so we could meet after class then," she said brightly.

"Consider it a standing appointment," he said. In Hermione he had found the friend who had been missing from his life since losing Sirius the second time. "Now, I should see to those last-minute preparations so I'm not rushing around Monday afternoon."

"I think you are almost as prepared as I am," she said playfully.

"And yet you'll be here all weekend making sure everything is perfect," he teased back.

She blushed. "Well, this is the first year I'll be teaching the NEWT students on my own, so can you blame me?"

"I think you would be doing the same even if it were your tenth year," he joked with her. He had come across few people in his life who worked as hard as she did.

"I just can't help it," she sheepishly admitted as she looked into her empty tea cup.

"You should learn to relax a little. Get away from the school this weekend. Goodness knows chances are few and far between once classes start." He knew that he enjoyed being able to spend evenings with Teddy at home and that this would be his last restful weekend.

She laughed. "Minerva tells me the same thing. Maybe I should listen to the two of you?"

"I hope that you will. I'll see you Monday," he said jovially before leaving the Staff Room.

* * *

Hermione wondered what she would do if she did go away for the weekend. If she had thought about it ahead of time, she might have been able to go visit Harry, but she didn't want to drop in unannounced at the list minute. She could go to London and Great Wizarding Library. No, she should do something relaxing, not more research, which is precisely what she would be doing if she stayed here. Perhaps just a quick trip down to the shore? That was sure to be relaxing.

She packed a small overnight bag and decided to see if the Wandering Wizard would have a room. It was a quaint little inn where she had Ron had stayed when they first started dating. It would be the perfect place to relax.

When she arrived, she had no problems securing a room. It was late afternoon and far too late to go to the beach, so she decided to go for a walk and just enjoy the warm sea breeze. She walked along the boardwalk, just watching the people go about their business. Everything was so wonderfully normal. She walked past an ice cream vendor and decided to indulge. When she found an empty bench, she sat and finished her ice cream while watching children frolic on the beach. Even after she finished, she just sat and watched. This was the first time since she had arrived at Hogwarts that she could recall just relaxing.

Finally her stomach started rumbling, and she decided to go find something to eat. She ended up at a fish and chips place, deciding to indulge in something simple. After dinner, she just walked along the boardwalk and watched the sunset before returning to her room and turning in early for a change.

Saturday was just as relaxing as Friday. She did allow herself time to browse through several nearby second hand bookstores. She found a few interesting books, but mostly just enjoyed looking through the shelves and shelves of books. After lunch she took one of her books down to the beach and lounged on the sand in the warm sun. She had no idea why she hadn't thought of doing this sooner and why she had resisted Minerva's suggestion, yet impulsively taken Remus'.

She started thinking about Remus as she stared out at the waves lapping the beach. They were forming a great friendship. She found it so easy to speak to him, much easier than any of her other colleagues, whom she suspected still saw her as a student due to the age difference. He was well read so they could discuss just about anything. And he was good looking in an unkempt sort of way, with hair that was perpetually mussed.

Wait. Did she just think that one of her colleagues, and former professor, was good looking? Yes, she had thought that about Lockhart, but that was different. That was a childish crush that had been shared by just about everyone he had hoodwinked. Remus was different. He was bright, sensitive and an accomplished wizard. In short, he was everything that she was looking for in a companion.

She sighed. Of course, she was pretty sure that she was not what he was looking for – not that he seemed to be looking for anyone. Any time she had tried to steer the discussion towards his life, he had answered the questions as quickly as possible and changed the subject. The only part of his life she could get him to talk about was Teddy. And she knew that it had been hard for Tonks to get him to admit he had feelings for her. Yes, times were changed, there was no war and the werewolf stigma was gone, but he still seemed determined to be alone, to put his needs last.

All she could do at this point was to nurture their friendship and see if it would grow into something more. With him spending so much time away from the castle, that might be difficult, but she figured she could try to ensure she sat next to him at lunch in addition to tea on Tuesdays. One way or another, she was determined to break through.

Sunday she left first thing in the morning since it had started raining, but she felt quite relaxed and ready to start the school year.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas everyone! Sorry for the delay in the second chapter. Everyone has been home and it's been a bit of chaos to get things reviewed and posted since I don't always have access to my laptop given it's the media server and not portable and people steal my spot. LOL

September 1, 2003

Remus was slightly nervous for the start of term. He knew that legislation had made it perfectly legal for him to hold this position and that everyone already knew what he was, but it still made him a little anxious. It felt odd to be sitting at the head table again and he tried not to appear self-conscious.

"Nervous?" Hermione asked as she leaned over and whispered to him while everyone was focused on the Sorting.

"A little. Last time I was afraid I'd be found out, but now, everyone knows..." he trailed off, not entirely sure what he was nervous about. He knew there were sure to be parents who would be unhappy with him teaching their children and hoped that it would cause no problems.

She patted his knee under the table. "Exactly. There is nothing to be worried about. The Board approved your appointment. I know you'll do a smashing job."

Finally, the sorting was over, and Minerva took the podium. "Students, welcome back to Hogwarts, and welcome for the first years. Now that reconstruction is complete, the out of bounds areas have been removed from the castle. As always the Forbidden Forest remains just that, forbidden. Finally, let's welcome our new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Professor Remus Lupin." Remus rose to be acknowledged and there was light applause. "Now, let's eat," Minerva said after a few seconds. A murmur moved through the Great Hall, as though she had left something unsaid.

She turned away from the podium and was about to regain her seat when she turned back. "Oh, there is one more thing." She smiled broadly at the students. "As I'm sure most of you know, this year it is Hogwarts' turn to hold the Triwizard Tournament. The Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students will be arriving on October 26th. At the Halloween celebration the champions will be chosen. Along with the Tournament, we will once again host a Yule Ball that will be open to all Fifth Year and above and will be in dress robes. Now, I believe we should all enjoy our Welcome Feast before retiring for the evening so you will be ready for classes in the morning."

As Remus partook in the Welcome Feast he enjoyed the enthusiasm of the students as they discussed the Triwizard Tournament. A few times he did hear the word 'werewolf' muttered quietly, and he could see some of the students not quite openly staring at him. At least his first class would be his Seventh Year NEWT students, who he hoped could exhibit some maturity and would have received lessons about lycanthropes. Because of his condition, he knew that he would have to cover lycanthropy first for his younger students.

* * *

Remus has been correct about the NEWT class. He had decided to begin the class by allowing them to ask him questions. They had been surprisingly mature and seemed to fully accept him. Some of the questions had been about his actions during the war, which he had felt somewhat uncomfortable recounting, not just because he didn't want to seem to be bragging, but because it reminded him of losing Dora. By the time they finished, there was little opportunity to go over his planned lesson, so he ended up assigning reading for homework.

In between classes he chose to wait in his office and let the second years filter in. When the bell rang, he strode into the classroom. "Good morning, students!" he said jovially.

"Good morning, Professor," they replied, some more enthusiastically than others since this was a Ravenclaw-Slytherin class.

"I know that all of you know of my affliction, but not all of you may be aware of all the facts surrounding it." He paused for effect. "While lycanthropy is not generally taught until third year, I believe it is important for me to cover it in our first lesson. First I will cover the facts and then I will allow you to ask questions."

It took him fifteen minutes to cover the basics of how people were infected, when they transformed and that the Wolfsbane Potion allowed lycanthropes, the preferred term, to maintain their proper mind during the full moon so they did no harm. He also gave a brief history of the persecution his kind had been subject to and how that had changed now that the Ministry was providing Wolfsbane Potion to all lycanthropes. "Now that you know the facts, I'll allow a few minutes for questions in case I missed something?"

One of the Ravenclaw girls, Emily Pritchard, asked, "Is the transformation painful?"

"As you can imagine, it can be quite painful. Thankfully the Wolfsbane Potion lessens the pain." A few more hands went up and he called on one of the Slytherin boys, "Yes, Mr. Paine?"

"Have you ever bitten anyone?" Paine asked and was promptly sharply elbowed by his tablemate.

It was not a question he had anticipated, and he hoped he didn't appear too out of sorts. "Thankfully, no, though some of my kind chose to allow themselves to be used as weapons by Voldemort. It is one of the many reasons why the Ministry has changed the way it treats lycanthropes." Deciding not to entertain further questions, he directed, "Open your books to chapter one and we'll begin our lesson. If you have further questions, you can write them down this evening and put them in my box next lesson and I can address them later."

For the rest of his classes, he decided that would forgo the question period, and after going over the facts, he asked the students to write down any questions, which would be answered in future classes.

* * *

As he finished up his Tuesday afternoon class, he was looking forward to tea with Hermione. He collected the questions out of his box as they had finished the lesson a few minutes early and he gave them time to write them down. About half the class had dropped a slip of parchment into the box. A part of him dreaded what he would find on those slips, but he hoped that the fifth years would have insightful questions.

He arrived in the staff room pleasantly surprised to find that Hermione was waiting with the tea service. He had half expected her to be running late. "Good afternoon, Hermione," he said pleasantly as he took the seat across from her.

"Good afternoon, Remus," she said cheerfully. "How have your first couple of days been?"

"About as I expected. I figured it would be best to cover lycanthropy first to try to head off the misinformation that's out there," he offered.

"How did that go?" she asked as she poured out tea.

"For the most part, not bad." He stirred his sugar cube into his tea and took a sip, trying to determine if he should confide in Hermione. "I did have one second year ask if I'd bitten anyone, so I've decided to take all questions in writing and I'll go over them next week."

"No!" Hermione was aghast.

"Honestly, I should have expected it. He got a good elbow in the ribs for that question, and I decided it was best to just get the answer out to stop any speculation. Other than that, it feels good to be back in the classroom. I'd forgotten how much I enjoy teaching, especially when the students are interested." He took another sip of tea. "And how have your classes been?"

"It's going well. I survived my first NEWT lesson, though working with Minerva last year and watching her teach them has helped. The rest of the classes are going much easier this year than they did last year. It's amazing how much a year of experience helps."

"Indeed it does," he replied. "Even though it's been years, I'm less nervous now than I was last time. And I'm going to enjoy this first week far more than I did last time."

"Oh?" she asked quizzically.

"This is the one week where I don't have any grading to do," he replied simply, letting a broad grin spread across his face.

She laughed softly at his comment. "I hadn't thought about that, but you're right. Maybe I'll try to enjoy the quiet before the storm, too?"

They spent the next thirty minutes enjoying tea and talking about their classes. When the tea and snacks were gone, Remus stood up. "If you'll excuse me. I should be getting home and see if Teddy's second day at school went better than the first."

"He had a bad day?" Hermione asked.

"I wouldn't worry too much. I think he's just a bit put off by the change in routine and spending all day in a strange place. I think it's just a little separation anxiety. They warned us about that during orientation. I'm actually surprised we don't see more of it here, but I think eleven year olds can process the change better than five year olds. I'll see you tomorrow at lunch," he said before leaving.

* * *

After Remus left, Hermione returned to her office, looking for something to do, but Remus was right, there were no assignments to grade and she wasn't one to give quizzes the first few weeks, not that she didn't have them prepared for the fourth week of term. One of the many things she had done the last two weeks was revise all her tests and quizzes, ensuring they weren't the same as ones from the previous year. While that would have been the simplest thing to do, she knew that word would quickly get out with the students and they would be tracking down everything from last year.

There was a gentle knock on her door frame and she looked up to see Minerva entering her office.

"Here you are. I was looking for you."

"Remus and I just finished up tea in the staff room."

"How is he doing?" Minerva asked.

"So far he said classes are going well. I think the students are still on new professor good behavior, but I have filled him in on some of our more… colorful students."

"That's good. I thought perhaps that since you have the afternoon off, you'd like to meet to discuss NEWT curriculum and working on becoming an Animagus."

Hermione knew they hadn't done anything about that her first year teaching because she had been far too busy trying to sort out her teaching style and modifying the curriculum. Even though Minerva had developed a very thorough curriculum over the decades, Hermione had made changes to suit her style. "I'd love to, but perhaps we can pick a different day? I'd hate to tie up my entire Tuesday afternoon. We could use my free period on Thursday mornings."

Minerva gave her a knowing smile. "I think that will work out perfectly. We'll use my office so we are less likely to be disturbed by students. Did you want to start work on the transformation this month or wait until October?"

Hermione had read everything she could about Animagi, and was further in awe that Sirius, James and Pettigrew had been able to accomplish it on their own. She had read all the warnings about what could go wrong and had not felt comfortable attempting it on her own. She had been thinking about this most of the summer, especially whenever there was an electrical storm. "I suppose we are more likely to have a clear moon in October than November when the winter storms start to roll in, aren't we?"

"That we are. I have the chrysalis and getting a Mandrake leaf from Pomona will be quite simple," Minerva replied.

Hermione sighed. She wasn't looking forward to keeping the Mandrake leaf in her mouth for nearly a month. She was afraid she would choke on it or accidentally swallow it during her sleep. Not mention having to give lessons with it in her mouth. She had already practiced trying to speak with a leaf in her mouth over the summer and found it difficult.

"Are you having second thoughts?" Minerva asked gently.

"No. I'm just scared of swallowing it and having to start over," she admitted.

Minerva smiled softly. "You wouldn't be the first who had to do that. It took me three tries before I managed it."

"Three?" Hermione asked, hoping it wouldn't come to that.

"I wouldn't worry about it. I learned a lot from that and can give you some good advice. Since we're meeting on Thursday, I won't keep you today," Minerva said as she got up to leave.

"I look forward to it," Hermione said, trying to sound excited and not at all scared. While she loved complex magic, this was going to be about as complex as it got. Not just because of the rarity of the ingredients, but because it required the cooperation of the weather. First with having a clear night for the second full moon and secondly having to wait for an electrical storm. She knew that would be the hardest part because they were more common in the summer. She had thought of asking Minerva to work on the potion over the summer, but she knew that was the only real break they all got and it didn't feel right asking.

* * *

September 10, 2003

While Remus had transformed the last five years with the Wolfsbane Potion, he had never been watched and was incredibly nervous. This would be the first time he had willingly allowed someone to see him transform. He took a deep breath and headed down to Nahima's office. He knocked on the door and opened it when he heard her say, "Come in."

Nahima could hardly control her excitement. "Are you ready?"

He tried to remain pleasant. "As ready as I ever get," he replied as he took the goblet from her with the final dose of the potion. After downing the vile concoction, he placed it on her desk.

"Good, good. This way. I'll show you the room I have ready." She led him next door. It was a dark room that had a small writing desk and chair facing a window. "I'll sit here and make my notes during the transformation. Once I'm sure it's complete and that it's safe, I'll come in and examine you."

Looking through the window he saw an austere chamber that had a pair of lamps high on the wall, permitting her to see through the glass. He stepped through the door and looked around. He took several deep breaths to fight the claustrophobic feeling that was threatening to overtake him.

Nahima placed her hand gently on his arm and asked cautiously, "Remus?"

He slammed his eyes shut. "I'll be fine. I just need a few minutes."

"If this arrangement is too difficult, there is still time for you to go to your office and we can work something out for the next moon," she said gently.

He opened his eyes. "No. Let's not waste any time. I'll manage." He looked into her eyes and measured the concern he could see on her face. "I'll manage," he reassured, for himself as much as for her.

"If you're sure…"

He forced a smile. "I'm sure."

She gave him a reassuring pat on his shoulder before leaving and locking him into the small chamber.

When the lock clicked, he felt another surge of claustrophobia. He knew that it was merely because he was being watched. Being watched. Suddenly it occurred to him that he would have to undress before the transformation. Logically he knew this was a clinical setting, but also knew that she was still a woman and the idea of undressing in front of her, even if he couldn't see her, unnerved him. He stripped down to his trousers and neatly folded his clothes, placing them in the corner. He could feel the moon and knew it would be rising momentarily, and he turned his back to the mirror to finish undressing, tossing his remaining clothes at the neatly folded pile before sitting on the floor. It was easier this way because he could easily shift to all fours as he transformed.

As the moon rose, he could feel it exerting its presence. The transformation always began with his fingers and toes and he felt the pressure as his nails transformed into claws. Even with the potion's pain relieving properties, he couldn't help by cry out as his arms and legs morphed into wolf limbs. It felt like it took forever, but it was really only a matter of a minute and he was once again the hated wolf. His legs would not support him any longer and he collapsed into a panting heap. Soon he would regain his strength.

He heard Nahima knock on the glass to get his attention. He turned to face the mirror and wagged his tail, hoping she would understand the signal.

Nahima entered the small room, wand at the ready, and he lay completely still, not wanting to appear threatening.

"I'm going to cast a few spells on you, to determine how much you changed. None of them should hurt, though there may be some mild discomfort." She waved her wand in a series of intricate patterns, speaking incantations that he had no familiarity with. When she finished, she gave him a series of instructions, checking his reflexes. She then left the room and Remus leaned over to peer through the door and try to figure out what she was doing. She returned a moment later with a small cushion that she placed on the ground and enlarged. "I hope this helps. I'll come back after the moon has set to unlock the door."

He curled up on the cushion, hoping to sleep through the rest of time he would be a wolf.

* * *

Remus woke to the disorientation of transforming back into a human. This was the one downside of sleeping through being transformed into a wolf. It took him several minutes to muster the strength to crawl over to his clothes. He wasn't always in a such a hurry to dress, but he knew that Nahima would return shortly.

Not long after he was dressed, he heard a knock on the door. "Come," he said hoarsely.

Nahima entered cautiously. "How are you feeling?"

"Exhausted, sore," he didn't feel like elaborating any further as he leaned against the wall for support.

She knelt next to him on the floor. "I brought you an Invigorating Draught. It should aid in your recovery. And since it's so early, it should provide you the strength to return to your quarters where you can more fully recover."

Remus reached out with a shaking hand to take the potion. "Thank you," he said weakly.

"Let me help," Nahima said as she helped him hold the cup to his lips. "We'll give it a few minutes, and I'll help you to your quarters."

Remus was quite surprised he was able to make it to his quarters mostly unaided. 

Nahima saw that he safely made it to his bed. "I'll come by after my last class and see if you feel up to answering some questions for me."

"Thank you," Remus replied. He appreciated how she was giving him time to recover even though the last thing he wanted to do was recount his transformation. He knew it was part of the process of improving the potion, as unpleasant as it was.

* * *

Hermione was in her office, waffling about what to do next. She knew that last night had been full moon and that Remus would be recovering in his quarters. A part of her wanted to stop by and take lunch with him, but another part of her wondered if it would be too forward, if he would feel too vulnerable.

Finally she made her decision. "Tippy," she called out.

The house elf popped into her office. "Yes, Professor? How may Tippy be of service?"

"I'll be taking lunch with Professor Lupin in his quarters, so if you could have it sent up, that would be much appreciated." She had reached a truce with the Hogwarts house elves and had given up on SPEW. Even though she couldn't understand it, the house elves were truly happy serving others. Of course, no one seemed to support the idea, either. While helping those with lycanthropy and working on a better relationship with the Goblins were able to gain full Ministry support and a great deal of public support, no one really wanted to get into the welfare of house elves. Probably because most people did not have them and it was not something that affected their day to day lives. Outside of Hogwarts, only the really old pure-blood families had them.

"Yes, Professor. Tippy will see it's done," Tippy replied and then disappeared.

Hermione walked to the staff quarters and then nervously stood outside of Remus' door. She had rehearsed what she wanted to say and felt that it seemed appropriately non-threatening. She knocked softly on the door. When there wasn't a reply she knocked a little harder. There still wasn’t a reply and she didn't feel like pounding on the door. Taking a deep breath, she reached out and turned the doorknob. "Remus?" she asked softly, aware that she wasn't likely to get a response, but didn't want to sneak up on him if she could avoid it.

Crossing the room, she went to his bed chamber and peered inside. There was enough light making it through the curtains that she could see him sleeping peacefully. She found herself staring at him, noticing that the lines on his face were less pronounced in sleep. As she closed the distance to the bed, she found herself wanting to trace the light scars on his face, to brush aside the hair that was covering his eyebrows. Tentatively she was reaching for his face and realized that would be too forward. Instead she placed her hand on his shoulder and gently shook it. "Remus?"

He opened his eyes and blinked rapidly. "Hermione?" he asked tentatively.

She smiled warmly at him. "Good afternoon. I figured you wouldn't be up to taking lunch in the Great Hall, and I thought I'd provide you some company. After all, we have a debate we didn't finish yesterday."

He returned her smile as he rolled onto his back. "We do, don't we?"

"If you'd like to get some more rest, I can go." She didn't want to impose on him during his recovery.

"No. That's all right. I'm actually rather hungry. If you can give me a few minutes, I can meet you in the sitting area." He was working himself to a sitting position with Hermione's help.

"Are you sure?" she asked, concerned that he might be unsteady on his feet.

"I’ll manage. Nahima gave me and Invigorating Draught this morning that has helped greatly. I'll see you in a few minutes."

When she moved to the sitting area, she found lunch waiting for them on the table. After a few minutes Remus joined her, leaning on his cane as he walked across the room.

"You didn't have to do this," he said simply.

"I just figured you might like some company, finish up our debate." She knew it sounded forced, but she wasn't ready to tell him the real reason that she was there. For now she just needed to nurture their friendship and see if could blossom into something more. A part of her wanted to ask how he felt, but she figured he would get enough of that from Nahima, so she did what he could to make him feel as normal as possible, resuming their debate on the validity of Jonas White's treatises.

As Hermione ate, Remus looked at her curiously. "Is there something wrong with your mouth?" he asked.

"No. As part of the Animagus process, I need to keep a Mandrake leaf in my mouth that entire moon cycle."

"That sounds inconvenient," Remus observed.

"Thankfully Minerva gave me some tips, so I'm hoping to only have to do this once. I think it's one reason a lot of people give up. It probably would have been easier to do this over the summer, but I didn’t feel right asking Minerva to give up some of her free time for this."

"I can understand," he replied knowingly before resuming their debate.

All too soon it was time for her to get leave. "I need to go get ready for class," she said.

"I'm sorry about that." It was his Defense Against the Dark Arts class that she had to get ready to teach. "Hopefully Nahima can make some improvements to the Wolfsbane so that I don't miss a full day of classes anymore."

She could tell that he felt guilty others would have to cover his classes. "I don't mind. It's a nice change of pace from the usual Transfiguration." She paused and just before the silence became awkward, she offered, "If you'll be staying the night here, I could join you for dinner."

"I appreciate the offer, but I think I'll be able to make it home. I'm definitely up for lunch tomorrow."

"I'll see you then," she said before departing.

* * *

It was late afternoon when Remus heard a knock on his door. He had showered and had to admit that he felt much better. He was sure the Invigorating Draught had something to do with that. He wondered why it wasn’t standard therapy. He could understand that Severus would not have been amenable to providing him with that as he had already seen brewing the Wolfsbane Potion as a huge inconvenience. He had wondered why Poppy had never provided it to him, but honestly, he had avoided everyone post transformation and it never occurred to him to ask. “Come in,” he replied.

“Good afternoon, Remus,” said Nahima cheerfully. “I hope you got some rest this morning.”

“I did. Hermione joined me for lunch, and I feel much better. I believe the Invigorating Draught helped a lot more than I anticipated. I’m normally exhausted for pretty much the entire day following the full moon.”

“Based on the information you gave me in our initial interview, I had hoped that it would help. I made a few minor modifications to ensure that it wouldn’t disagree with you given the Wolfsbane Potion would still be in your system. I can send a recommendation to the Ministry that it become part of the standard treatment.”

“If they would accept that, it would be wonderful, but something tells me that might not be willing to absorb the extra cost. I know they only grudgingly decided to provide Wolfsbane Potion to us.”

“Well, I'm sure that if Minerva and I strongly recommend it, they might acquiesce. Now, are you in any pain?” Nahima opened her notebook.

Remus shook her head. “No. About ten minutes after transformation is complete, the pain dissipates. Normally it’s just the weakness and shaking from the muscles having been changed.”

“And that is for both transformations?”

“Yes,” he replied simply. There really wasn't much to elaborate.

“And how quickly did your strength return?”

“Well, this was a little different with the Invigorating Draught. Without that I would not have been able to walk from the dungeon to here, but I could have made the distance from my office to here. It’s one of the reasons I was given these quarters. I then would have slept most of the day and generally through the night. Now, I’ve felt very much like myself since lunch. Though had Hermione not stopped by, I probably would have slept a couple more hours. I wasn’t quite ready to be awake, but it’s not bad. I feel up to heading home this evening, actually, something I had not expected.”

“Good, good. We have made at least one step in the right direction. I have a few ideas that might speed your recovery that we can try out next month. Now, let’s test your reflexes.”

This was the part that Remus really didn’t like. For some reason he found testing new potions to be less distressing than getting poked and prodded.

When she finished, Nahima made a few notes and compared to her baseline. “A little slower and less responsive than before, but I think that is to be expected. We’ll see what I can come up with before the next full moon. I only want to make minor changes in case it’s not helpful. I cannot make any guarantee that changes I make will be improvements. Some may seem to be a step backwards.” She closed her notebook and rose to leave. “If I have any questions, I’ll let you know.”

“Thank you, Nahima,” Remus replied and then sat back and took a few minutes to compose himself. He would remain optimistic. Even if there was a step backwards, he knew that she would find a way to recover. Even if there was no improvement made, her version of the Invigorating Draught was one. He would talk to Minerva about the possibility of teaching any afternoon classes he might have. Anything he could do to reduce the burden he was on his coworkers.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many thanks to those who are leaving reviews and kudos. It's always nice to see a story appreciated. I hope it continues to entertain. I hope to either later today or in the next few days to post the short fic that led to me feeling compelled to write this one.

Hermione rode the stairs up to the Headmistress' office. Minerva had her tea service ready to go.

"How has the first day been?" Minerva asked.

"Not too bad. You really can forget it's there, can't you?" She had been afraid that it would affect her speech, but it didn't. She just had to be careful when eating that she chewed carefully and on the other side of her mouth.

"Just don't get complacent. That's when people tend to end up accidentally swallowing it. Thankfully it's harmless." Minerva took a sip of her tea. "How is Remus?” When Hermione gave her a quizzical look, Minerva continued, “I noticed you weren’t at lunch today and presumed you were making sure he got something to eat.”

“I did. He seemed to be doing pretty well and was hoping to head home this evening.” Hermione tried to keep the disappointment out of her voice, but she knew she hadn’t entirely succeeded.

“I think it’s good that the two of you are forming a close friendship. I think it’s something the two of you have missed over the last few years. Though for him I think it will be harder for him to form a truly close friendship given his losses over recent years,” Minerva said knowingly.

Hermione was pretty sure Minerva was referencing Tonks and not Sirius Black. “I know. I’m trying not to push too hard, to give him his space.”

“It may be necessary to push a little after everything he’s been through. Yes, legally lycanthropes are equal, but they are still subject to a fair bit of prejudice. I’ve received some letters from a few parents protesting his appointment, but I’ve reassured them of their children’s safety and referred any further question to the Board of Governors. And fortunately all correspondence from parents is required to go through me so they aren’t contacting him directly. Though I dare say he might have enjoyed a couple of the Howlers I opened.” Minerva chuckled.

Hermione was not entirely surprised some parents had not been happy with Remus teaching back at Hogwarts, but the law was the law and he had distinguished himself during his previous teaching tenure. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Also keep in mind that he may not pick up on subtle hints. Many men are oblivious to subtle flirting if they aren’t reciprocating it,” Minerva said knowingly.

Hermione found herself a bit shocked to be on the receiving end of relationship advice from Minerva McGonagall. “So, it wouldn’t bother you if…” she didn’t feel comfortable finishing that sentence.

“Of course not. Members of the staff are adults and are capable of making their own decisions about how they live their lives. As long as it doesn’t interfere with anyone’s ability to do their job, I believe they should be granted a lot of latitude. Hence letting Remus spend most evenings and nights at home with Teddy.” Minerva leaned forward slightly. "In fact, I think it would be good for him, and you," she said knowingly.

Hermione smiled weakly. "Well, we'll see what happens. Right now I'm enjoying his friendship. It's been nice having someone who doesn't treat me like I'm still a student."

"Is it that bad with the others?" Minerva asked, concern clear in her voice that one of her staff was not being treated equally.

"I don't know if it's that exactly or the fact that many of them are old enough to be my grandparent. There is just such a huge age difference between us, and I think that is so hard to overcome." Hermione said somewhat sadly.

"I understand. I was on the young side when I first began teaching here, and I had a difficult time interacting with my older colleagues. After a few years, things will change. After all, this is only your second year teaching."

"I guess so. But having Remus here has been nice because he has always treated me as a bit of an equal."

"My door is always open for you," Minerva offered.

"And I thank you for that." She checked the time. "I should be going so I can make preparations for my next class."

"Of course," Minerva said. "Just remember that you cannot devote all your energy to the students. You need to take time for yourself as well."

"I'll keep that in mind," Hermione said before leaving.

* * *

Hermione continued to do her best to ensure that she and Remus sat next to each other at lunch. It almost seemed a little childish, but given he went home every evening unless he had duties in the castle, she knew it was one of the few opportunities she had to spend time with him other than their Tuesday tea. Surprisingly her fellow professors seem to approve, and it was rare they did not have the pair of seats at the end of the table even though Minerva was the only one who had an official ‘regular’ seat.

Her birthday had been marked, once again, with a simple celebration of cake and ice cream in the staff room. Just as with the others, no age was mentioned and it was a time for the staff to have a few moments in the evening together socializing, something they rarely did during the school year because everyone always seemed to have something going on. Staff meeting were kept concise and there was rarely socializing afterwards. Birthdays seemed to be the sole exception. It gave her a rare few minutes speaking with all of her colleagues. Of course, she would have preferred spending longer talking to Remus, but as the birthday celebrations took place after the last class of the day, she knew that it was prolonging the amount of time he spent here in the afternoon and that he would be eager to get home. She did not begrudge him his relationship with his son, but she did wish they had more time to spend together, more time to try to let him know how she felt. 

Of course, their conversations at lunch were kept light since there were so many who might hear something. Conversation over tea tended to stay relatively professional as well. They spent a lot of time talking about the students since that sort of discussion wouldn’t be proper in the Great Hall. She tried some light flirting to see if he would react, but so far he had not. He kept deflecting any talk about his private life into something more professional.

As October unfolded, she found herself considering Minerva’s words. She was also reminded about the row that she and Ron had gotten into fifth year because he waited until the last minute to ask her to the Yule Ball. It seemed to her that it would be the same with Remus. If he felt something for her, he was unlikely to act on it. But she didn’t want to push too hard, too quickly and risk pushing him away. She already knew that Remus had put off Tonks for quite some time. She knew that she would be subject to some of the same behavior. Some of his arguments against getting involved with someone had been rendered moot. After all, everyone knew what he was and he still had a job. But she also knew that he would have a hard time overcoming their age gap. Part of her plan there was to not highlight her friendship with Harry. In fact, Harry had rarely come up in their conversations. That was good because she knew that only serve to remind him of the fact that he was old enough to be her father, something that never came up. She also tried to keep their conversations current, to not directly reference that he had been her professor. So far it all seemed to be working. He seemed to see her as an equal, and she knew that was the perfect first step. She was just unsure when to take the second step without pushing him away.

* * *

October 8, 2003

Hermione and Minerva were standing on the Astronomy Tower to ensure that she could capture the light of the moon as it rose. Due to it being full moon, there was no Astronomy lesson. Hermione had never felt so happy as when she had been able to remove the Mandrake leaf from her mouth. It had been an utterly unpleasant experience having it in her mouth for the last month. She removed the soggy leaf and stuffed it into the small Chrystal phial that Minerva had given her. She then waited for the moon to rise so the light could strike the phial. She was incredibly thankful for a mostly clear night. She wasn't sure she would have been able to tolerate another month of having the Mandrake leaf in her mouth.

While waiting for the moon to rise, she reflected on the fact that while this was something she was eagerly anticipating, she knew that Remus would be dreading it. She knew that Nahima was incredibly competent with potions and given her added knowledge of African flora, she hoped that the Potions Mistress might be able to come up with an improvement to the potion.

After what seemed like an eternity, the moon rose and as the moonlight hit the phial, it gave off a gentle glow, letting her know the first step had been a success. She then added a strand of her hair and the teaspoon of untouched dew. Thankfully Minerva knew the perfect spot to gather the dew, though it had entailed entering the Forbidden Forest. But with Minerva and Firenze as her guides, it had been completely uneventful.

Minerva handed Hermione the Death’s-head Hawk Moth chrysalis and Hermione stuffed it into the phial. She gave it a gentle shake and watched the chrysalis dissolve into the potion.

Minerva said, “Now just keep it safe until we have an electrical storm.

“I hope it won’t be too long,” Hermione said. She was not fond of waiting and that had been the downside of a potion like Polyjuice, it just took so long to complete. Though she would be quite happy if she never had to take that potion again. While she enjoyed the process of brewing it because it was so complex, she did not enjoy transforming into someone else. And she most definitely had not enjoyed being morphed into a cat. She shuddered at that thought and then chuckled as she realized that the potion in her hand would turn her into some sort of animal.

“Something amusing?” Minerva asked as they were walking down the stairs of the Astronomy Tower.

“I was just thinking back to when I drank Polyjuice Potion where I had accidentally used a cat hair and how unpleasant that had been and now here I am willingly brewing a potion that will allow me to turn into an animal at will.” After she had accepted the position on the staff, she had confessed to Minerva how she had ended up as a partial cat, which she learned her then Head of House had fully suspected.

“I assure you this will be a much less unpleasant experience than that.”

Hermione had been thinking about the transformation. “Do you think my Animagus form will be the same as my Patronus?”

“It generally is, though not always,” Minerva lectured. “And interestingly, not everyone who is an Animagus can conjure a Patronus. Yours is an otter, isn’t it?”

“Yes.”

“Then it is quite likely that will be your Animagus form. Generally, they only differ when the Patronus is a purely aquatic animal, or a magical creature. There are no known Animagi who have been magical creatures, but as you know they have been used as Patronuses. After all, Albus had a phoenix as his Patronus.”

“Yet he wasn't an Animagus, but perhaps if he had been he would have been a phoenix?” Hermione mused.

“Perhaps. But he never had any interest in it.”

“Why not?” It seemed to Hermione that it was a useful talent, and she was sure that Dumbledore would have been capable of it.

“As powerful a wizard as he was, he never felt the need. I asked him when he guided me through the process and that was the answer he gave me. I never questioned it then, but now I wonder if there wasn’t another reason. Perhaps he had tried and failed.”

“It could fail?” Hermione asked and stumbled on the step before regaining her balance with Minerva's help.

“The only failures I know of were a result of an adulteration of the ingredients. As you know, keeping a Mandrake leaf for a month is difficult and finding the proper dew is also very difficult, requiring a sufficiently remote location and proper weather conditions. It’s one of the reasons it wouldn’t have been feasible to do this during summer break even though electrical storms are more common that time of year. But that doesn’t mean that some of those failures weren’t for other reasons.” Minerva looked over at the look of worry on Hermione’s face as they finished descending the stairs. “I wouldn’t worry about it. I know that you are very meticulous and that the ingredients were fine. Everything went as it should have during the creation of the potion. As long as you properly store the potion and say the incantation every morning and evening, you should have no problem. Just remember to do the incantation.”

“Don’t worry. I will. I don’t have any interest in doing this again. I’m so glad the weather was clear.” She hoped that a storm would happen soon since with the coming time change, sunset would happen during her late afternoon class. She could work the sunrise incantation around breakfast quite easily. “If the storm doesn’t happen soon, about my later afternoon classes?”

Minerva placed her hand on Hermione’s arm. “Once the time changes, I’ll take over your classes to ensure that you don’t forget.”

“I can’t thank you enough for that,” Hermione said, relieved that she wouldn’t have that burden.

“Quite alright. I actually find that I miss teaching. I’ve considered guest teaching one class a week.” She had already been helping out with Remus’ classes when no one else was available.

“I think you should do it. After all, you are the headmistress.”

Minerva smiled. “That I am. Keep the potion safe, and if you have class when a storm happens, I’ll ensure that someone is able to fill in for you.”

“Thank you,” Hermione said and then turned towards her quarters. Once there, she had a small cabinet where she stored the phial and then placed the key, which was on a chain, around her neck. She didn’t want to risk someone accidentally opening the cabinet.

* * *

October 9, 2003

Remus recovered from Transformation and felt utterly horrible. He wasn’t sure what Nahima had done, but it clearly hadn’t helped. It took him several long minutes before he could find the strength to dress. He was looking forward to crawling into his bed. When Nahima knocked on the door, he responded weakly, “Come.”

She had a look of concern on her face as she cast a diagnostic spell on him. “I am terribly sorry. It looks like adding the nishagandhi flower was not a good idea. I was hopeful given its properties and uses in controlling werehyena transformation, but it seems that was wrong.” She passed over the cup of Invigorating Draught. “I hope this helps as much as it did last time.”

He eagerly drank the potion and sat back against the wall. “We both knew this would take time. At least we have ruled something out.” He tried to stand and she hurried to his side.

“You should take your time,” she admonished as she helped him to his feet.

“I’m hard headed,” he replied.

“Well, let's not find out exactly how hard that head is. Come, sit at the desk for a few moments.” Nahima helped him into the observation room and called for one of the house elves to bring a light breakfast. “Once you’ve eaten, I’ll see you up to your quarters”

After she saw him up to his rooms, she told him that she would come by at lunch to see how he was doing and if she thought he would be safe travel home.

* * *

When Nahima returned to check on Remus, she found him taking lunch with Hermione. "Good to see you are up and have an appetite," she said.

"I really seem to be recovering much better, even if the transformation was worse this time," he replied.

Hermione rose. "I have a class to prepare for so I'll get going. I'll see you tomorrow, Remus," she said quickly to excuse herself.

"How do you feel compared to last time?" Nahima asked.

"Now I feel about the same, though I do think it took a little longer to get my strength back this morning. It's still greatly improved from what I have been dealing with." He had known this would likely be a long process filled with failure. That was why he was transforming in the secure room, in case something she did to alter the potion led to his mind being more wolf than man.

"And the transformation?" she probed.

Remus closed his eyes. "It's hard to explain. It felt different somehow. With the Wolfsbane Potion, the transformation feels physically the same to transforming without, a little less painful, but the general feeling is the same. This time… I really don't know how to explain it."

"Did it hurt more or differently?"

"Different is a good word. It hurt more and differently. It just felt unfamiliar." He really wished he could find the words to describe what he had felt, but they were failing him.

Nahima tapped her finger thoughtfully against her lips. "I wonder…" she muttered quietly. "I wonder if the nishagandhi flower was having an effect and was trying to halt the transformation and if that's the reason it felt different to you? I didn't notice any marked differences in your wolf form this month from last month, but perhaps they were so minor they escaped my notice." She consulted her notes. "I see that next month there is a lunar eclipse. Have you noticed anything different about transforming during an eclipse?"

Remus shook his head. "I haven't, but then again I've never paid too much attention to it. Before the potion I was always careful to lock myself up, and when I've had access to the potion, I've tried to just sleep off being a wolf."

"Hmmmm. I'll have to think about this, about whether I should try to refine this further or if I revert to the original potion and see if the eclipse has any effect on your transformation."

"Do you think it can tell you anything?" Remus asked hopefully.

"Perhaps. There is unfortunately not much written on lycanthropy from an academic standpoint. If you think of anything different or strange that occurred during an eclipse, please let me know."

"I'll do that." He really couldn't remember, but he had always tried to repress everything involved with his condition.

"Thank you. Now, as long as you feel up to it, I think you will be safe to travel this afternoon. If this keeps up, you should be able to resume teaching the afternoon after full moon."

"Thank you, Nahima. I'll let you know if I remember anything." Once he had seen her out, he sank back onto his couch and nibbled at one of the sandwiches on the tray. He was happy to be going home in a few hours. Since it was Friday, he didn't have any late afternoon classes and he thought he would find Minerva and let her know that he could teach his next class.

* * *

October was coming to a close and there still had not been an electrical storm. Hermione was growing impatient. She knew that Minerva didn’t mind teaching her late afternoon classes, but Hermione found that she missed it. She sat for tea with Minerva. “I’m really sorry that you are still teaching my classes, especially with the Triwizard Tournament getting ready to start.”

Minerva waved off her concerns. “I told you I don’t mind. As long as I taught here, I find it a refreshing change of pace from the tedium of being headmistress. And it's not as though the Tournament is too much of a burden. It was rather fun to place the Age Line on the goblet of Fire.” Minerva poured out tea. “How has it been going with Remus?”

Hermione sat back and sighed. “It hasn’t. Oh, we have a great friendship, but he isn’t taking the hint that I’d like it to be something more than just a friendship.”

“I warned you that you might need to be a little more forceful.”

“I know that, but I don't want to drive him away. I know how dead set against a relationship with Tonks he was, and I’m afraid that if I push too hard, too soon that it will just drive him away.”

“I know it’s still more than a month off, but perhaps the opportunity will arise during the Yule Ball. After all, I think we all let our hair down a bit last time,” Minerva smiled knowingly.

Hermione smiled, too. She had been shocked to see her professors out on the dance floor having a good time. As a student you tended to forget that your professors were normal people. Perhaps it would take an unusual situation to get him to let his guard down. “I guess that will be my last resort if I can’t get his attention before then.”

* * *

October 26, 2003

Following a packed lunch on Sunday, October 26, Hogwarts students and staff quickly and excitedly filed out onto the front lawn. It wasn't long before they were rewarded with the sight of the Durmstrang ship emerging from the depths of Black Lake. Shortly afterwards, the giant flying carriage of Beauxbatons arrived.

Minerva warmly greeted Pierre Mondeaux, the deputy headmaster of Beauxbatons who had given his regrets that Madame Maxime would not be attending this year, and Dmitri Valeyev, the headmaster of Durmstrang. She then had Aurora Sinistra and Septima Vector escort the two groups to their respective dormitories. The visiting students would be given the afternoon to be shown around the castle by a student to show them where the classrooms were so they could begin attending classes the next day. The Goblet of Fire would be unveiled at dinner that evening.

"Good evening, students. As you know, today marks the beginning of the Triwizard Tournament with the arrival of the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students. Joining us to welcome our guests are Mr. Archimedes Jones, head of International Magical Cooperation," she gestured to her left," and Mr. Alasdair Maddock, head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports." There was polite applause from the students. Mr. Maddock has assured me he has developed some incredibly difficult challenges for this year's competitors. As in past years, the tournament will only be open to those students who will be seventeen by Halloween. Do not lightly put your name in the Goblet of Fire. Now, let us welcome our guests, the students of Beauxbatons and their deputy headmaster Pierre Mondeaux." She gave a few moments for the students to file in and take seats at the Hufflepuff table and Monsieur Mondeaux to take his seat at the head table. "And the students of Durmstrang and their headmaster Dmitri Valeyev." She paused again as the students filed in and took seats at the Slytherin table. "I expect all of you to extend the warmest welcome to our guests. Now, let’s enjoy dinner before unveiling the Goblet of Fire."

"What can you tell me about the Goblet of Fire?" Remus leaned over and asked. He had of course heard of it, but even during his time at Hogwarts, they had not had a Triwizard Tournament.

"It's really hard to explain and we'll be seeing it soon enough. This whole thing will be utterly amazing. I wonder what the tasks will be this year? I have a hard time imagining anything more difficult than what happened last time." She was still hoping to get some hints as to what the challenges would be before they occurred. Not necessarily because she wanted to give the Hogwarts champion a leg up, but because she loved sorting out complicated magic.

"As long as it's less eventful than last time," Remus remarked.

"I think it will be. After all, this has been held twice before and there doesn't seem to be any darkness looming in Britain." She wondered how this would go. She also pondered what she would do if she learned anything about the tasks ahead of time. She knew that Harry had been tipped off about the dragons ahead of time and that both Cedric and Dobby had provided him help with the second task. She had every reason to believe the heads of the other two magical schools has provided their students with every advantage. The third task involving the maze had been somewhat obvious to everyone, though no one had known what dangers would lurk in the maze. With Quidditch being played this year, she had no idea if the final task would remain the maze or something new. Alasdair Maddock had been very circumspect about what the tasks would be when he met with the staff.

Once dinner was over, Alasdair Maddock took the podium. "Good evening Hogwarts, Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students. It is our honor to host this year's Triwizard Tournament at Hogwarts. As Professor McGonagall so kindly reminded before dinner, this Tournament is only open to those who will be seventeen come Halloween. I know for many this seems unfair, but these tasks will be incredibly difficult and dangerous and it is highly unlikely younger students would have the knowledge to succeed," he paused a moment for dramatic effect, "or survive. As always, there will be three tasks, one the second weekend in November, the next the first weekend in February and the final will be the first weekend of June. Rest assured that these tasks will differ from the ones faced by the champions last time Hogwarts hosted.

"For anyone thinking of putting their name in the Goblet, rest assured that Professor McGonagall has cast an impenetrable Age Line that will not allow someone who is not of age put their name in the Goblet. I look forward to discovering who are champions will be this year and watching you compete in the challenges this school year. The Goblet of Fire is now open."

The Great Hall quickly emptied as students filed into the entry way. The adults in attendance lined the back wall and students jockeyed for position to watch and see who would put their names in the Goblet. Naturally all of the representatives from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang put their names in the Goblet. A handful of Hogwarts students put their names in as well. Just as in previous years, Hermione suspected there would be a number who were still considering whether to put their names in and would likely do so in the middle of the night or early morning when no one would witness them doing so.

After about ten minutes when it became clear no one else was stepping up, the students began filtering out of the entry way, heading back to their dormitories. Looking around, Hermione saw that Remus had likely left for the evening.


	4. Chapter 5

October 31, 2003

Hermione was woken from a dead sleep by a loud crack. It took her a few moments to realize what it was. They were finally having a thunderstorm. She had begun to think that she might have to wait until spring. There was another loud boom and she pulled on her dressing gown, slipped into her slippers and quickly and carefully unlocked the cabinet that held her Animagus potion. It was the blood red color that it was supposed to be. Holding it carefully in her hand, she hurried down to the empty classroom she and Minerva had set aside for her use. All the furniture had been cleared, and it was a rather large empty space.

Hermione paced nervously as she waited for Minerva to arrive.

"Are you ready?" Minerva asked.

Hermione nodded her head and held the phial out. "It looks the right color to me, doesn't it?"

"That it does. Now the incantation, drink, and try not to panic," Minerva said calmly.

"No panicking. Right," Hermione said even though she was doing precisely that. She took a deep breath and then placed her wandtip on her heart and recited, " _Amato Animo Animato Animagus,_ " an incantation that was intimately familiar to her thanks to reciting it at sunrise and sunset for close to a month.

Immediately after consumption, she felt a fiery pain and the disorienting feel of a second heart beating in her chest. She doubled over in pain and was struck with the image of an otter before she could feel her limbs shrinking and changing into otter paws. It was incredibly disorienting as her body changed, completely out of her control.

When the pain subsided, she felt a sense of panic as she tried to figure out how to move her four paws, that her vision was changed, all of her senses seemingly out of whack. Suddenly she saw a tabby cat approaching her and she hissed menacingly. The cat approached cautiously and meowed at her. She was shocked that instead of just hearing a meow, she heard, "The transformation is over. Be calm."

Slowly Hermione began to assimilate what had happened. As she had suspected, her Animagus form was the same as her Patronus. Since Minerva was telling her it had worked, Hermione knew that thinking of herself in her human form would return her to normal. But a part of her was afraid to do that after the pain of transforming into an otter.

The cat meowed again. "Be yourself."

Hermione took a deep breath and pictured herself. In an instant she resumed her human form, albeit on all fours on the floor. She watched as the tabby cat smoothly morphed back into Minerva, who was standing quite gracefully. "You make it look easy," Hermione said as she got up from the floor and dusted herself off.

"I've been doing this for far longer than you have been alive," Minerva reminded her gently. "In time you will learn how to gracefully switch between your forms. Congratulations on your success! Since today is going to be so busy with the Triwizard Tournament, I'll send a letter to the Ministry that you'll stop by on Monday to register."

Hermione had completely forgotten that it was Halloween and that they would be selecting the Triwizard champions this evening. "Of course. So it won't hurt anymore, right?"

"It shouldn't. Did it hurt when you transformed back?" asked cautiously.

"It's hard to say. It was pretty disorienting." She was still trying to assimilate the fact that she had been an otter just moments ago.

Minerva placed her hand on Hermione's arm and said softly, "It always is. You panicked less than some."

"I think it helps that otters are rather small and not likely to cause a lot of damage."

"Otters may be small, but they are still predators with sharp teeth and claws. And you weren't exactly a small otter. I'd say on the larger size of the breed. Now, I think we should both try to get some sleep since it will be a busy day. And I'll ask you not to transform outside of your quarters until after you're registered and you're comfortable transforming."

"Of course. Though I might keep this secret for a little while. I'd like it to be dramatic when I reveal it others." She still remembered that first time seeing Minerva transform from cat to witch and how amazing it had been.

* * *

Hermione had never been so glad to have her classes done for the day. The students had been very distracted by the thought of tonight being the official start of the Triwizard Tournament, especially since one of her classes was the seventh year NEWT students, all of whom had announced their intentions to put their names in the Goblet. 

The hallways emptied quickly after the last class as students rushed to their dormitories to drop off their satchels and ensure they looked their best, especially those who had put their names into the Goblet. Hermione thought back fondly to the days of the Triwizard Tournament when she had been a student. It had been such an exciting time, made more exciting by the fact that one of her best friends had been selected as one of the champions. She hoped the students would get a chance to experience all the excitement without any of the terror this time.

It took her longer than usual to organize her paperwork on her desk. It looked like she would be spending this weekend grading essays. She was beginning to rethink how she assigned work and have to be more cognizant of how many different classes were assigned essays due at the same time. She had thoroughly enjoyed the research that went into a good essay, which is why it had become her assignment of choice, but she had never considered the ramifications of three different year groups having long essays due at the same time. The worst part was that she was unlikely to have much time for grading on Friday evening due to Halloween and the choosing of Champions. At least there wasn’t a Quidditch match this weekend that she would be expected to attend.

When she arrived at dinner, cognizant to be on time, she saw that once again extra chairs had been added to the head table for their guests. Taking her usual seat next to Remus, she was distracted by the energy in the room.

Excitement was clear in the air as dinner progressed. The conversation of who the staff thought would be the best representative for Hogwarts had dominated discussion during the week. Of course, there was no guarantee that those the professors thought would be the best representative had actually put their name in the Goblet. And there had been little agreement amongst the professors. The heads of the houses had clearly favored members of their own houses. Even Hermione was forced to admit she held favoritism for a Gryffindor being chosen.

Once dinner was ended, Alasdair Maddock once again took the podium. "The time has come. Mr. Filch, if you please," he announced to the back of the room.

The doors to the Great Hall opened, and Mr. Filch pushed the Goblet of Fire between the tables until it was front and center before the podium.

Maddock flicked his wand and the Goblet sprang to life, spewing bright blue magical fire. After a moment, the first piece of paper burst from the Goblet. He summoned it and read the name. "The Beauxbatons' champion will be Maurice Lemonde." There was gentle applause throughout the Great Hall with the Beauxbatons students cheering more loudly than the others. Another slip of paper burst from the Goblet. "Durmstrang's champion will be Natalia Necheyeva." There was a pause for the applause to die down before the third slip of paper burst of the Goblet, which then extinguished the fire and went dark, much to Hermione's relief. "Finally, the Hogwarts champion is Evelyn Burke." There were gasps amongst the muted whispers throughout the Great Hall, with the Slytherins the first to applaud. Everyone had expected either Jefferson White from Gryffindor or Tanya Cornfoot from Ravenclaw to represent Hogwarts. No one had expected a Slytherin, especially Evelyn, to represent them. "Champions, if you will please follow Professor McGonagall, we will take care of the formalities. To those who were not selected, remember that it took a great deal of courage to put forth your name for consideration."

Remus leaned over to Hermione, "That was unexpected."

Hermione agreed, "Very. I wouldn't have expected her to put her name in the Goblet." Evelyn was very bright, but she was also very shy, one who seemed to shy away from anything that would shine the spotlight on her. She would never raise her hand in class, but Hermione had quickly learned that did not mean that Evelyn didn't have the answer, merely that she preferred to not be noticed.

“I’m sure she’ll do well,” Remus remarked. “She is one of the brightest students I have taught. And the Goblet wouldn’t have chosen her if she wasn’t worthy.”

“Indeed it wouldn’t.” Hermione thought that perhaps this Tournament was exactly what both Evelyn and Slytherin needed. Perhaps Evelyn would blossom under the scrutiny she would receive as a champion. At least Rita Skeeter wouldn’t be covering the Tournament this time. Hermione cringed at the memory of how Rita lived to slander both her and Harry.

“How did last night go?” Remus asked as he watched everyone file out of the Great Hall.

“I beg your pardon?” Hermione asked, confused by this abrupt change of subject.

“I heard there was quite the lightning storm last night,” he prompted.

Hermione blushed. She had been so fixated on the Triwizard Tournament, it had slipped her mind that she had become an Animagus in the early hours of the morning. “It went very well, though very disorienting.”

“I know,” he replied almost automatically and then amended. “I mean, I can understand how strange developing the features of an animal might be.”

She smiled warmly, knowing that he had been forced to transform monthly for almost his entire life. “That you can, though I imagine the fact I can control it will make it different. Minerva says I’ll get used to it, and it will become second nature.”

“I’m sure that will be a welcome feeling. So, what animal do you transform into?”

“An otter. From what Minerva said, a rather large one at that. It was very odd and something I’ll need to practice a while before I decide to share this ability with others. I need to figure out how do the transformation gracefully, effortlessly. Let’s just say that last night’s attempts were a quite comical."

“You’ll get the hang of it and then we’ll have a giant otter running through the Great Hall, scaring the wits out of a number of students.” He chuckled at the thought of her terrorizing the students in her otter form.

“Remus,” she needled him, realizing he was joking. “Though, I love otters, I was hoping that I might get a more useful form. They’re cute, but not necessarily known for the great speed.”

“Perhaps not, but I have seen otters use their front paws as hands. That might proove far more useful than Minerva’s cat," he offered.

“That is true. Well, it’s getting late. I should patrol the halls to ensure the students have returned to their dormitories before turning in for the night.”

"Good luck. Something tells me they will need some extra prodding tonight. I'll see you on Monday," he said cheerfully.

A part of her had hoped that he would have offered to stay and patrol with her, but she realized that was selfish. He had already stayed much later than he normally did, and she was sure that he wanted to get home and see Teddy to bed. "Good night," she said, hoping it sounded positive.

As she wandered the corridors, it occurred to her that once she was confident going between human and otter, that she could use it to get around the castle quickly and without much notice. It could be very useful being an otter. As she patrolled the halls, she contemplated whether or not swimming would come instinctively. It had been difficult for her to get used to walking on all fours, but swimming might be different. She would have to take a trip down to the lake one day and test that.

* * *

November 8, 2003

Remus was excited to take Teddy to a Quidditch match as it was something Teddy had been looking forward to once he learned his father would be teaching at Hogwarts. It would be a fun afternoon where they could spend some time together. He was holding his son's hand as they walked down the path to the stadium.

"Dad! Look how big the stadium is!" Teddy said excitedly.

"And this is just the school stadium. You should see the professional teams," he replied.

Hermione had been walking in front of them and turned around. "Remus, so glad you could make it and Teddy, you've gotten so big since the last time I saw you." 

"Hermione, I'm surprised to see you here. Teddy, this is Professor Hermione Granger." She had never shown much interest in Quidditch and since she wasn't a head of house, she wasn't required to attend.

Teddy extended his hand. "Nice to meet you, Professor."

She returned his handshake. "How about you call me Miss Hermione? Why don't we go find some seats?" she said as she looked up at Remus.

"After you," he said as he gestured to the stadium.

The three of them moved to the staff box where Hermione took seats in the front row to ensure that Teddy's view wouldn't be blocked, and Remus and Hermione sat on either side of Teddy.

Once they were seated and waiting for the two teams to take the field, Hermione asked, "Have you ever been to a Quidditch match, Teddy?"

The boy shook his head. "No."

"How much do you know about it?" she asked.

"I know there are Seekers, and Chasers, and Keepers, and…" he couldn't remember the rest.

"Beaters. There are two beaters. And do you know how many Chasers?"

Teddy scratched his head in thought. "I think there are two… no wait! Three!"

"Good job. That's right. There are three. And do you know how points are scored?"

Remus smiled warmly as he watched Hermione instruct his son on Quidditch basics. He hadn't expected her to take such a keen interest in explaining things to Teddy, especially how she was doing it. She wasn't just giving him the answers, but seeing what he could remember. The crowd started to cheer and he looked to the field. "Are you ready? Here come the teams. Remember, we are cheering for Gryffindor."

"That's the ones in the red, right Dad?" Teddy asked excitedly as he stood up to watch the start of the match, his hair shifting from its usual teal to a Gryffindor red.

"That's right." He paused a moment as Madam Hooch opened the box. "And there goes the Snitch!" he said as there was a quick flash of gold.

"It sure is fast!" Teddy marveled.

"And there go the rest," Remus said as the Quaffle was launched into the air and the Bludgers released from their case.

Teddy was instantly enthralled. "Where did the Snitch go?" he asked after about a minute.

"No one knows exactly. That's what the Seekers have to figure out, and it's why they are up above the action, to see better, but they don't want to get too high," Hermione instructed.

"But what if the Snitch flies away?" Teddy asked.

"They are charmed so they stay within the stadium confines and they don't go too high, but they are so small and fast, that it still makes them hard to find. Do you want to see if we can find it or do you want to watch the Chasers try to score?"

Suddenly the bell rang indicating the Slytherins had scored. Teddy booed.

"Don't worry. We have a long way to go," Remus reassured. "The Snitch is rarely caught within the first 30 minutes of a match."

"But they still scored!" Teddy protested.

Remus placed a hand on his son's knee. "True. But I'm sure that Gryffindor will score soon enough. Just keep watching."

After the first twenty minutes, Teddy leaned over to Hermione, "Do you want to see if we can find the Snitch?"

"Sure. Do you want to be a Seeker someday?" she asked.

"I don't know. They fly pretty high," he said nervously, his hair losing some of it's brightness.

"You know what, I was a bit scared the first time I flew on a broom, but you get used to it. And don't worry, the professors here keep their students safe," she reassured.

Remus knew they did their best, but accidents still happened. He only hoped that any accidents today would be minor so as not to scare Teddy off from future Quidditch matches. Remus had always wanted to play, but with his condition it wouldn't have been possible as he would have missed practices and matches and drawn more attention to himself. He had lived vicariously through James playing Chaser and later through Harry playing Seeker. He smiled as he watched Hermione and Teddy search for the Snitch.

At the end of the first hour, the score was 180-220 in favor of Slytherin. Remus could tell that Teddy was tiring, even with Hermione's instruction. That was one of the downsides of Quidditch, other than brief time outs, the game kept going and you had no idea how long it would go. Most Hogwarts matches resolved in the first two hours, but not all. There had been a match the previous February between Ravenclaw and Slytherin that had to be postponed due to darkness and finished on Sunday morning. He was sure that the players on both sides had been glad of that reprieve, especially since House teams didn't have much in the way of backups, unlike the professional teams.

As the second hour approached, the Slytherin lead had increased to 120 points. Remus was getting a little nervous that if they didn't find the Snitch soon that Gryffindor might lose the match. Their Chasers seemed to be getting tired, as was their Keeper, who kept faltering under the Slytherin onslaught.

"Is that it?" Teddy asked as he pointed up in the sky.

Remus and Hermione looked to where the boy was pointing. Remus had to admit that he didn't see anything.

"It might be," said Hermione as she gazed into the sky.

"It is it!" Teddy said excitedly.

Remus still wasn’t sure, but apparently the Gryffindor Seeker had seen the same thing and went racing towards where Teddy was pointing.

The gong sounded again and Remus heard the announcement that Slytherin had scored again. By now the crowd was murmuring as they had noticed the Gryffindor Seeker was chasing after something. The Slytherin Seeker was converging on the location as well. By now Remus could definitely see the Snitch, and he wasn't sure which of the two would reach it first.

The two Seekers dove after the Snitch, the Gryffindor one in the lead. All three of them were rapidly approaching the ground. The Seekers were flying one handed, trying to be the first to touch the Snitch. There was a crash as the Seekers hit each other moments before striking the ground. Everyone was on their feet trying to determine what had happened. The rest of both teams had stopped upon hearing the crash. The two Seekers were wrestling over the Snitch and Madam Hooch landed beside them, loudly blowing on her whistle to get their attention.

"Enough, enough!" she shouted. "Give it up so I can see who caught it first."

The Slytherin Seeker snatched it away from his opponent and handed it to Madam Hooch.

"Step up!" she instructed. She held the Snitch first to the Slytherin Seeker and nothing happened. When she held it to the Gryffindor Seeker, it glowed. "One-hundred and fifty points to Gryffindor. Gryffindor wins by twenty!" she shouted.

There were loud cheers from most of the crowd, including Remus, Teddy and Hermione.

"Wasn't that a fun match?" Hermione asked Teddy.

"The end was great, but I didn't like watching Gryffindor losing in the middle."

Remus chuckled at his son's assessment. He would have felt the same way at the same age. "Well, they have a very good Seeker this year, and she caught the Snitch at the right time," Remus said.

Hermione offered to Remus, "Would the two of you like to head to the Three Broomsticks for some butterbeer?"

Teddy looked imploringly at his father. "Can we, Dad?"

"Sure." Remus reached down at took Teddy's hand so they didn't get separated in the crowd.

Once they were clear of the stadium, Teddy reached his other hand up for Hermione's and she obliged.

They had a pleasant walk to Hogsmeade as Teddy recounted his favorite parts of the match. Remus smiled as Hermione patiently put up with the boy's repetition.

Once they were seated at the Three Broomsticks with their butterbeer, Hermione asked, "Are the two of you planning on attending the first Triwizard task?"

Remus smiled fondly at his son. "I don't think I have a choice. He's been talking about little else but the Tournament since I told him about the Goblet of Fire."

"I wish I could have seen the Goblet, it sounds amazing," Teddy said wistfully.

"I've already promised him that next time it's held at Hogwarts, that I'll make sure to bring him to see the Goblet."

"What do you think the first task is going to be?" Teddy asked Hermione.

"I don't know. I know that last time it was retrieving a golden egg from a dragon. It was amazing to watch, but I doubt they would do the same thing again. Especially since we are still using the Quidditch stadium."

"I'm sure it will be something quite exciting," Remus offered.

"Maybe it'll be a Boggart?" Teddy guessed.

"Well, those are pretty easy to defeat, especially for the older students, but that's a great guess," Remus said.

"I bet you know. Gran says you're an expert on dangerous things," Teddy said proudly.

"Well, perhaps not an expert, but I do know a great deal," Remus said humbly.

Hermione leaned over to Teddy and whispered loud enough for Remus to hear, "Your dad doesn't like to admit it, but he is pretty brilliant."

Remus sputtered on his butterbeer at Hermione's praise. Once he finished coughing, he said, "I appreciate your assessment, but it may be a bit exaggerated. Now, I think we have monopolized enough of Miss Hermione's time and we should be getting home."

"Okay," Teddy replied.

Remus turned to Hermione. "Thank you for entertaining Teddy." He still couldn't believe how patient she had been with him.

"It was my pleasure," she replied. "I'll see you on Monday."

"See you then," Remus replied. He took Teddy by the hand and the two of them went outside to Apparate home.

* * *

Hermione walked slowly back to Hogwarts. She was quite pleased with how the day had gone. She knew that one stepping stone to breaking through Remus' resistance was to get on Teddy's good side. It wasn't hard. Teddy was incredibly curious, just as she had been at his age. She was only now beginning to realize the incredible amount of patience her parents had possessed to put up with her constant stream of questions.

She could only hope that Remus would see that she was accepting them both.

The rest of her weekend was spent on mundane tasks such as grading essays, quizzes and setting up her classroom for the weeks' classes. At least this week only one of her classes was transfiguring live animals. Of course, she had purposefully not scheduled anything overly complex this week because she knew her students would be distracted by the upcoming first task of the Triwizard Tournament. 

She thought back to Teddy's guess about the Boggart and how evasive Remus had been about knowing what the first task was. She wondered if he was involved with it. While none of the staff had been directly involved with the dragons, some would have clearly had to know as the Quidditch stadium had been transformed for the dragons. And of course Professors Snape and McGonagall had been involved in the Black Lake task.

With only a week to go, rumors were flying about what the first task would be, but they all seemed to be just rumors. There was no consensus from what Hermione could hear, not even from the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students.

She looked up when there was a timid knock on her door as she was setting up the desks for her first class on Monday morning.

"Professor Granger?" Evelyn Burke asked tentatively from the doorway.

"Yes, Miss Burke?" Hermione replied wondering what Evelyn would have to ask her on a Sunday since the NEWT students had not been assigned any homework over the weekend.

Evelyn nervously wrung her hands. "I was wondering if you could help me?" she finally asked.

"It depends on what you need help with. I have no idea what the first task is, and even if I did, you know that I couldn't help you."

"I know that. I just needed some advice on advanced Transfiguration. I've been going through the NEWT textbook, and I was having some trouble with some of the wand work."

Hermione smiled warmly and summoned the textbook from her desk. "Okay, let’s see what was troubling you."

Hermione spent the next three hours going over spells with Evelyn. She wondered if Evelyn had been similarly visiting with other professors. "If you have time this week, you should see if you have any questions for Professor Lupin. After all, last time the tournament was held here, the champions had to get by Grindylows. Perhaps there is something you might want to go over with him."

"Oh, yes. I had hoped to find him, but I know he's not here on the weekends. I was planning on asking him if he had time on Tuesday afternoon."

Hermione knew that was her usual tea with him, but she could forgo it for one week. "I'm sure he can find time for you. After all, we want you to well represent Hogwarts. I'm sure you'll do just fine or the Goblet of Fire wouldn't have chosen you."

"I know that. I'm just still really, really nervous." She paused and looked at her feet. "I've heard some of the other students…"

Hermione knew that Evelyn alluded to the fact that many of them were still shocked a Slytherin was chosen to represent Hogwarts. "And you should not pay attention to what the small-minded people tell you. Do not be afraid to be yourself." Hermione paused a moment, trying to decide if she should continue. "They used to whisper about me, too, or maybe say things a little louder than a whisper. I let them get to me for a while, but then I learned that their opinions didn’t matter. They don't determine your grades. They don't determine your destiny. If I had continued listening to them, well, I probably wouldn't have been there to help Harry Potter defeat Voldemort. I probably would have stayed quiet and pretended to not be as bright as I was. I'm glad you came to see me for help. So go out there, do your best and prove to them you are exactly where you are supposed to be."

"Thanks, Professor," a far more cheerful and optimistic Evelyn Burke said as she left the Transfiguration classroom.


	5. Chapter 5

November 9, 2003

Remus wasn't looking forward to this full moon. Not that he looked forward to any full moon, but he was dreading this one more than most because this November was a blood moon due to the eclipse. Nahima was highly interested in how he would react, wondering if the diminished moonlight would cause any sort of change or reaction from him. He honestly had no memory of anything being any different on an eclipse night, not that it was something he kept track of. For him it was enough to know that it was full moon.

After much consideration she had decided to revert back to the original Wolfsbane Potion because she felt that her changes were affecting his transformation. As long as he could have the Invigorating Draught when the transformation was over, he didn't much care which version of the potion he took.

Entering the chamber where he would be transforming, he found he was less concerned about being observed than he had been the previous months. However, he was apprehensive about what was going to happen. There were a few legends of dubious factuality about werewolves and the blood moon, but nothing based on real events as far as he could tell. He was a bit surprised that Damocles Belby hadn't reported anything, but then again, Nahima had discovered that many of his notes surrounding the creation of the Wolfsbane Potion were nowhere to be found, something that had confounded her. She had hoped to be able to read through his notes to determine if had tried anything she was considering. Given it had only been developed about fifteen years ago, this had surprised Remus, too. But then again, he, James and Sirius had destroyed all the notes they had made surrounding the creation of the Marauder's Map, not wanting anyone to replicate their work. He wondered if someone had destroyed Belby's work out of spite to ensure it went no further.

There was nothing to be done about it now.

"I will be observing you throughout the eclipse. When totality is reached, I'll try to see if I can wake you and if it would be safe to examine you. If you can signal me by lowering your head, I will know it's safe."

"Are you sure?" Remus asked. The last thing he wanted was to hurt her, especially since they weren't sure if anything would happen during the eclipse.

"If you can signal me, it means that you are in your right mind. All will be well. Since I already know you react to the standard potion, I'll return shortly before the eclipse begins."

"Thank you. And I hope that you can learn something from this experience." Once he heard the door latch, he gave her a few moments to clear the room before he undressed in preparation for the transformation.

* * *

Remus heard a banging and tried to shake the sleep off. He realized he was still in his wolf form as he regained awareness, but something wasn't right. He didn't know what it was, but he didn't feel like he normally did as a wolf. He looked towards the source of the banging and saw a door. There was something about the door, and the mirror next to it. Suddenly there was a light behind the mirror and he saw a witch standing there. Nahima! Her name was Nahima. And she was helping him. He was supposed to do something. What was it? Oh, he was supposed to bow his head to let her know that she would be safe.

As he bowed his head, it felt odd and he looked at his paws, only they weren't exactly paws. They weren't exactly hands either. He could hear the door open and fought off an impending sense of panic. He had transformed under the Wolfsbane Potion before and he had always fully transformed into a wolf. Even last month with the minor modifications Nahima made, he still felt like a wolf. Now he wasn't sure what he felt like.

He sat on the cushion and watched Nahima cautiously approach him, wand at the ready.

"This is very interesting," she said as she looked him over.

He whimpered softly, hoping to get her to describe what she saw.

"This will only be a moment," she said as she cast a series of diagnostic spells over him. "Very interesting, indeed." She looked into his eyes. "As the moon entered eclipse, you have partially untransformed." She waved for him to stand up. "Come, look," she said as she gestured at the mirror.

He walked over to the mirror on all fours and stood on his hind legs, putting his front on the ledge so he could see. What he saw shocked him. His fur was much thinner than it normally was and his face was somewhere between wolf and man and he found it quite disturbing and quickly moved to where he could avoid his reflection.

"I expect that has the moon moves out of eclipse, you will resume your full wolf form." She continued jotting information in her book. When she was done, she closed it and pulled a small box out of her pocket. "I'd like to take a blood sample now and one once you are the full wolf. In a few days I will take one and see if there are any differences I can find."

Remus didn't like the idea of her drawing blood, but if it would provide her with answers, he would allow it. He laid down and extended a paw towards her while at the same time turning away from what she did. He gave a small yelp when she actually went to draw his blood. Instinctively, he began licking the wound even though she had sealed it so that it wouldn't bleed.

She gave him a caring look. "I'm sorry to have to do this to you, but it might yield some answers. I'll be back in a couple of hours for the second sample. Try to get some rest."

Now that he knew that transforming back into the full wolf would be happening soon, he found it hard to think about sleeping. He could tell when the eclipse was ending as he felt the tugging across his body. Oddly, it didn't seem to hurt like the full transformation. Once he was back to his full wolf form, he had no problem falling back asleep, at least until Nahima came to draw his blood.

When the moon finally set, he was hit with the same pain, soreness and shaking that he had come to expect. Nahima's Invigorating Draft was a welcome relief. Once again, she had to help him drink it, but he didn't mind.

"I have some ideas based on my observations. There is flower in east Africa that only blooms during a lunar eclipse, the kivuli cha mwezi or moon shade flower, commonly called kivuli. It has magical properties, though it has been little studied, and I wonder if it might help in the potion. I'm sure that Pomona will be able to grow them in Greenhouse Four so that we can harvest them during the next eclipse. Unfortunately that won't be until May, but that should give me plenty of time to procure enough to be useful. I will continue to experiment with the potion. Perhaps I can find a way to infuse more pain relief and the Invigorating Draught so that you can recover more quickly, but I believe the kivuli may be our best chance at stopping the transformation."

"Do you really think that?" He hated getting his hopes up, but she sounded so optimistic.

She placed a hand on his knee. "I do. I only wish I had thought of it sooner. I could have made arrangements to gather some this eclipse instead of six months from now."

"Well, anything you can to improve the recovery will be most welcome, even if the… kivuli? doesn't work out." He let her help him to his feet and to his quarters. When he had some free time, he would have to go to the library and see if he could find out anything about the kivuli. Their education of magical plants had been fairly robust, but he was sure he had never heard of the moon shade flower.

* * *

November 15, 2003

Hermione was almost as excited as the students about the first task of the Triwizard Tournament. If any of her fellow professors had provided any assistance, they had admirably been able to keep that secret. The only things she was reasonably sure of were that none of the tasks would be identical ones from last time. She was in her office attempting to grade quizzes, but she was sure that an announcement would have to be made soon, and she found it hard to concentrate. She should have just given up and waited in the staff room.

At nine o'clock, Alasdair Maddock's voice rang through the halls of Hogwarts. "Students and staff, you are cordially invited to assemble at the edge of the Forbidden Forest behind the Quidditch Pitch for the first task of the Triwizard Tournament. Champions, there is a designated tent where you will receive further instruction. The first task will begin promptly at ten o'clock."

Twenty minutes to ten, Hermione joined the stream of people leaving the castle and heading to the edge of the Forbidden Forest. She was quite curious what the task was going to involve. She had been in the forest far too many times for her liking and none of it had really been pleasant. The closest to pleasant had been when Hagrid had introduced them to Grawp, and that hadn't really been pleasant, though for some reason Grawp had responded to her. As she got closer to the forest, she saw that stands had been erected. She was looking for a sign of Remus and Teddy, but didn't see them. As there was no designated staff area, she didn't see how she could save seats for them.

Shortly before ten, Mr. Maddock walked from the tent and stood in front of the stands. He pointed his wand at his throat before speaking with a magically amplified voice, "Welcome staff, students and families to the first event of the Triwizard Tournament. I'm sure there has been much speculation as to what the tasks will be. I assure you they are incredibly challenge and will test the competitor's magical knowledge to its limits. As I am sure you have surmised, the first task relates to the Forbidden Forest. The competitors will be completing a timed obstacle course through the Forbidden Forest. The trail is well marked, though the dangers are not. The start times will be staggered by five minutes to ensure that no competitor is encroached upon by another. The order was determined by random draw a few minutes ago. First will be Ms. Necheyeva from Durmstrang." He paused for a cheer. "Following her will be Ms. Burke from Hogwarts." There was a slightly louder cheer, but it was clear the Hogwarts students were still not fully behind their champion. "And finally, Mr. Lamonde from Beauxbatons." A rousing cheer from the French contingent erupted. "This will solely be a timed event. Whoever finishes the obstacle course with the quickest time will be the winner."

While Hermione thought this was brilliant, she was a bit disappointed that this would not be very thrilling for the crowd. Of course, the last time the tournament had been held here, the first task had been the only one of the three the crowd could really follow. The maze had been visually impenetrable and of course the second task had taken place in the Black Lake so no one knew what was going on, not that it would have mattered to her as she had been an integral part of that task.

As the champions were sent off on their way, Hermione found herself scanning the crowd, hoping to see Remus and Teddy and see if she could find a way to join them. The one thing that surprised here were the periodic announcements made by Maddock announcing how long it took the champions to reach various check points. Evenlyn Burke so far had the best time, though Maurice Lemonde was closing the gap. While they did not know exactly what was happening, from time to time they could hear crashes, explosions and otherworldly sounds, but it was impossible to tell what was happening purely by sound.

Shortly after the one hour point, a time during which Hermione had been unable to locate Remus and Teddy, Maddock announced, "It seems we have at least one of our champions nearing the finish." He indicated a small path to the right of where they had entered the Forest.

Everyone was sitting on the edge of their seats. It should be Necheyeva, followed closely by Burke, who had been catching up to her. It had surprised Hermione because she would not have figured that Burke was overly athletic. In fact, Evelyn Burke reminded Hermione a lot of herself as a student.

Finally, everyone in the stands could start to see movement at the edge of the Forest. They were in shock as they saw Burke helping support Necheyeva, who had clearly hurt her leg. As soon as they were clear of the Forest and over the finish line, Poppy Pomfrey ran over to tend to Necheyeva, and she was joined by Pierre Mondeaux, checking on the welfare of his student.

Maddock finally seemed to find his voice. "Well, that was an unusual finish. We have Necheyeva with a time of 1 hour, 17 minutes and 12 seconds and Burke with a time of 1 hour, 12 minutes and 12 seconds. Now we are just waiting to see what Mr. Lemonde's time will be."

Hermione watched as Poppy expertly tended to Necheyeva's injury and the young lady was quickly back on her feet. Checking the timer board, she could see that if Lemonde finished the course in the next three minutes that he would win this event. The crowd was silent as everyone was straining their ears for sounds of Lemonde finishing the course. His timer was quickly approaching the 1 hour 12 minute mark and still they heard nothing. Just before the timer crossed the 1 hour 12 minute point, they could hear something. The Beauxbatons students started yelling in French for him to hurry, knowing he had only a few seconds in which to win the event. A disheveled and slightly limping Lemonde could be seeing doing his best to finish strong as everyone watched his timer to see when it would stop.

"Absolutely amazing!" Maddock called out. "Mr. Lemonde has finished just one second ahead of Ms. Burke."

The Hogwarts students still broke out in a raucous cheer, finally getting behind their champion who while she had not won the first event, displayed amazing sportsmanship.

"Congratulations to all three champions for finishing this incredibly difficult course. And a special congratulations to Ms. Burke who assuredly sacrificed time for her finish to ensure that her fellow competitor made it out safely."

Hermione felt very proud of what Evelyn Burke had accomplished. While Evelyn had not finished first in the event, she had won the hearts of the Hogwarts students. Hermione joined all the other Hogwarts students and staff in giving a standing ovation. She watched Evelyn who at first blushed, but then seem to gain strength form the crowd's reaction, and she finally waved to them before retreating to the champions' tent. Now Hermione had no doubt the Goblet had chosen the perfect champion for Hogwarts.

* * *

December 2, 2003

Hermione and Remus were enjoying were enjoying tea the first Tuesday of December. It had become a comfortable routine where they could vent frustrations about students, ask each other for advice and just talk. She had been hinting gently about how wonderful it was spending time with him, but he seemed oblivious to her flirting attempts. Of course, she was not sure her attempts were obvious enough for him.

"So other than the Yule Ball, did you have any plans for the holidays?" Hermione asked. Minerva had already told the staff they needed to be present for the ball.

"Not really. I'm just looking forward to being able to spend a lot of time with Teddy. Andromeda is going to do a little traveling, so it'll just be the two of us after Christmas. I'm sure we'll find some fun things to do. And you?"

"I signed up to stay here through the Yule Ball since most of the older students will be remaining until then. Once they head off on the 26th, I'll stop by and see Harry and Ginny and then spend some time with my parents. Pretty boring, huh?" A part of her hoped that her lack of plans might prompt him to ask if they wanted to get together.

"Sometimes after the excitement of teaching, boring is a good thing. I know I'm looking forward to having some time where I don't have to worry about what the students are up to. Not that I don't enjoy being here, but it will be a nice break. So, nothing else planned?"

"I wish, but with spending my days here, well, it's kind of all encompassing, isn't it? I guess I never realized how much it would define my life. That's part of what I enjoy so much about our weekly tea. It gives me a chance to take a break from being Professor Granger for a little while." She hoped he might pick up on this hint.

"It is nice. I know I look forward to it every week. Sometimes I think most of the others have just been here too long to understand what it's like to just be starting out. Either that or they are involved with head of house business."

"I'm glad I don't have that responsibility. I have no idea how Severus was able to do that at my age. Of course, I'm not entirely sure how effective he was, but the Slytherins were a tough group. I've been pleased to see that there has been a change in attitude in that group. Though I daresay seeing so many die had to have led to that," she finished morosely.

"Indeed. I think he did about as well as he could under the circumstances, and I have been pleased with the new direction the house is taking. I think Tacitus has been a good addition to the staff for many reasons. I don't know as I have ever recalled students being excited about history, so that's a plus."

"I only wish that he had taught when I was a student. I can only imagine how much more we could have learned," she said wistfully. While she loved knowledge, Binns had done little to foster a love of magical history. She had tried to get Harry and Ron interested, but they had never been enthusiastic.

"I think a great many of us think the same thing. It's good that the students can have continuity now. I can only imagine how difficult it must have been having a new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor every year."

"I suppose it could have been worse. Other than Lockhart and Umbridge, everyone was at least competent. Though it was a rather disjointed education. I'm so glad you accepted Minerva's offer. You were the best that we had." While they had learned just as much from Severus, his teaching style had been more punitive, especially where Gryffindors were concerned. "And the students speak quite highly of you."

He looked away from her into his tea. "That's good to hear. I've noticed an improvement in the attitudes of a few who were skeptical of someone like me teaching them. Minerva also told me it's been more than a month since she got a letter complaining about me teaching their children. It seems they might have written home and explained I do know what I'm doing." He took a sip of his tea.

She reached out and gently brushed his knee with her hand. "I think its brilliant having you teach. You can help an entire generation shed their prejudices."

He smiled weakly. "We'll see about that. It's hard to overcome centuries of stigma, and I'm only one wizard." After another sip of tea, he asked, "Have you given any thought to when you will reveal your Animagus form?"

"I'm still working on figuring out how to smoothly transform. One thing about otters is that they are not that graceful on land." She was at least as graceful as otters get on land once in her animagus form, but she still felt awkward transitioning between her forms.

"Why don't you show me and maybe I can offer some advice?" he offered as he set his tea cup down.

So far Hermione had only transformed in front of Minerva for her initial transformation. Everything else had been in the privacy of her quarters. She hadn't even announced to the rest of the staff that she had succeeded. "I don't know," she said quietly.

"I won't be too critical," he offered warmly.

Hermione stood up and took a deep breath, closing her eyes to focus on her otter form and preparing to fall onto all fours. As she felt the transformation start, she fell forward, landing on her front paws, and accidentally bumping her chin into the floor because her front legs were so short.

Remus gave her an appraising look. "I will say you transform into a beautiful otter. And the transformation wasn't bad. I think you just need to get used to how long your legs are as an otter. Though maybe complete the transformation standing up and then lower to all four paws. Otters are known to stand on their hind feet."

Hermione mentally berated herself. She should have known that. Raising back up onto her hind legs, she focused on becoming Hermione again.

"Much better," he said approvingly. "You seem to have the actually transformation process down. I think that standing will be the best answer. Congratulations on your accomplishment."

She blushed and looked away from him. "I couldn't have done it with Minerva's help."

"I don't think you give yourself enough credit. I heard about you brewing Polyjuice Potion second year. I think that you could have done it on your own, you just lacked the confidence. You are one of the brightest witches I have ever met, and I'm sure you could have done it on your own. After all, James and Sirius managed it and you are far brighter than they were."

"Stop," she blushed at his praise.

"I mean it." He heard the bell ring. "Goodness. I should be getting home and let you get back to grading. I'll see you at lunch tomorrow."

"I look forward to it." She put her tea cup on the tray. As she hurried to her classroom, she found herself slightly disappointed. She had hoped to keep the conversation centered on the winter break in the hopes she could get him to agree to get together. She wouldn't have minded having Teddy around. She was eager to show Remus that Teddy was not something that was going to stall their relationship.

* * *

December 9, 2003

Remus found himself lying on the cushion in his transformation room. He stretched to work out the kinks that were always left behind when he changed forms. He tried to determine how he felt. He knew that he had transformed, but it didn't feel as though it had been as taxing. He picked up his clothes and dressed. He felt stronger, though he had still struggled to his feet.

Shortly after he dressed, Nahima joined him, handing him his cane. "Do you want to talk about your transformation now or later?"

He followed her into the observation room. "We can do it now. I feel much better than I ever have. I don't know what you did, but it was a step in the right direction."

Once they were seated at the small desk, she said. "That's good. I had been hopeful. I've integrated another component of the werehyena potion, the Brahmakamalnector . As long as none of the components interfere with the properties of the Wolfsbane Potion, I intend to keep incorporating them. My hope is that fully incorporating the two potions will benefit those like you. I've also found a way to incorporate the Invigorating Draught into the final dose of the Wolfsbane Potion."

It took Remus about ten minutes to recap what he felt was different about this transformation though he had not been able to put it into adequate words. "I wish I could describe better what made it different."

"You've done a good enough job. Did you need me to escort you to your quarters?" she asked.

He shook his head. "No. I can make it. I can't thank you enough for what you have done so far."

When he returned to his quarters, he wasn't exhausted, but was definitely winded. He found a tray on his table with his breakfast. Nahima had obviously had the house elves deliver it for him. Once he had finished his breakfast, he decided to lie down for a little while.

After a couple hours rest, he got up and decided to grade some essays. As lunch approached, he considered going to the Great Hall, but he knew Hermione had made a habit of joining him for lunch after the full moon, and he found himself eagerly awaiting her arrival. He knew it was very selfish of him to spend so much time with her. She should be out getting together with people her own age. She had her whole life in front of her, and he was likely holding her back. But he selfishly clung to the joy her presence brought him.

He was quite pleased to hear the knock on his door. "Come in," he called out.

She smiled warmly at him. "I'm so glad to see you up and about," she said.

He set aside his work and got up from his desk to move over to the sofa to join Hermione for lunch. "I'm feeling much better now. I almost feel like myself."

"That's wonderful news," Hermione said. "It's amazing how much improvement Nahima has been able to make in just a few months."

"It most definitely is. I thought the original Wolfsbane Potion was the best thing that would ever happen to me, but now I find that I have hope that one day she may even stop the transformation. Of course that could take some time. She has hopes that an African flower that only blooms during the eclipse might be a key."

"That sounds fascinating. I heard her talking about werehyenas and have been researching them. It's a fascinating affliction, and it's amazing how they have been able to stop that transformation. I'm surprised that no one ever connected the two before."

Remus was not at all surprised that Hermione had been doing research. "I think a lot of it has to do with the fact wizarding communities still stay quite isolated. Yes, we come together for the Quidditch World Cup, but it's a side effect of the International Statute of Magical Secrecy. Everyone started keeping to themselves more and more, not willing to risk violating the statute."

"Maybe we need to change that. After all, the Muggle world is becoming more interconnected and it seems to be mostly positive. At least from an academic standpoint."

"We probably do need to change it. If Nahima's knowledge has helped this much, I can only imagine what it might mean elsewhere. Of course, I think it might be difficult for either of us to affect that sort of change from Hogwarts."

"Maybe not," Hermione replied. "I could write a letter to Kingsley and let him know what's happening and suggest that perhaps the Department of International Magical Cooperation should be more important. And we can always enlist Archimedes Jones when he comes back for the second task, make sure he understands the importance of what Nahima has done. I've learned nothing will change overnight, but in time it might."

"It can't hurt to try, can it?" Remus said optimistically.

"Not at all. Now you mentioned a flower that only blooms during a lunar eclipse, did she say what it was?"

"It's the Moon Shade. Let's see, she told me the native name, ki- something or other. I'm afraid you'll need to ask her, but I looked it up and none of the books here really have any information. Seems that it has been little studied by anyone who has published English language Herbology books."

"I may have to ask her about it. I'd never heard of a flower that only blooms during a lunar eclipse. I wonder what other properties it might have? Of course, that presumes that it is in any way helpful for you."

"That's what she said. I get the impression that due to the rarity of the blooms not much has been studied about them. They seem to have no obvious medicinal properties."

"Perhaps that's because they are only useful in very specific circumstances? I'll hold out hope that lycanthropy is one of them. Maybe I can find some time experiment some, though I don't want to deprive her of them in case they are helpful."

He couldn't help by smile at her enthusiasm. "Well, once she has determined whether or not they are any help, I'm sure she would be more than happy to share any extras with you. And something tells me she would enjoy sharing her knowledge with you, so maybe you can help her out some? Of course, finding time for that might be difficult."

Hermione leaned back against the sofa. "I know. I never appreciated how much work everything was for the teachers. While I always loved essays as a student—"

Remus interrupted, "Really? I hadn't noticed," he said playfully. He had of course noticed because her essays were always far longer than the minimum and included information from multiple sources, not just the text book.

Hermione blushed at his playful comment. "Well, I had to be thorough, didn’t I? But as a professor I'm beginning to rethink them. It's much easier to grade a quiz, isn't it?"

"Most definitely, but I find essays have their place. You can see how in depth a student's knowledge really is, and to ensure they do learn some in-depth knowledge."

"True. Maybe I just need to cut down on the number I assign, or at least stagger them better. For someone who is so prepared, you would think I wouldn't assign three classes essays due at the same time. Or that I would have learned this lesson last year."

"I've found that I have learned things this time around that I didn't learn previously. Teaching is as much learning for us as it is for the students." He checked the time on the clock on the mantle. "I've monopolized your time enough for the day. I think you have a class starting soon, don't you?"

"Oh, yes, I do. I hadn't realized so much time had passed." She rose from her seat. "I'm so glad you are feeling better. See you at lunch tomorrow?"

"I'll be there."

Once Hermione was gone, Remus mused that he really should let her know that he wasn't interested. She was trying to flirt with him and clearly wasn't catching on to the signals he was giving that he wasn't interested.

* * *

December 25, 2003

Hermione looked in the mirror. Her hair was perfect, for a change, and her dress robes fit perfectly. There would definitely be no doubt in anyone's mind that she was a woman. Of course, there was only one wizard's attention she was interested in getting. The robes were deep purple and accentuated her womanly curves. She did one last twirl in the mirror, admiring herself before heading down to the Great Hall.

By the time she arrived, most of the other professors and a few of the students were there. She saw Remus standing off to the side, looking quite dapper in his dress robes. She slowly walked through the Great Hall, taking note of student behavior as she made her way towards Remus.

He smiled fondly at her. "You look quite lovely this evening, Hermione."

"Thank you. And I must say you look quite handsome all dressed up." She resisted the urge to reach out and touch him. She was used to him wearing clothes that had seen some hard miles, even now he seemed to eschew new clothing. His dress robes were nearly new and it looked like he had put effort into taming his hair. It wasn't threatening to droop down over his eyes. She didn't think he had ever looked more handsome.

He fussed with his clothes. "It's a bit uncomfortable, but I'll survive for the evening," he replied.

She smiled, surprised that even now he was still unable to accept a compliment. She placed her hand on his arm and said, "Save a dance for me later."

He looked surprised by this statement as she walked away to herd the arriving students to their tables for dinner. Of course he hadn't attended the last Yule Ball and wouldn't have known that most of the staff ended up dancing at some point during the evening. A part of her wondered what a staff party with alcoholic beverages would look like. True there had been punch at the party before Christmas break, but it had still been a subdued affair of listening to Christmas music on the Wizarding Wireless while having hors d'oeuvres and then a white elephant gift exchange.

Since it was early in the evening, the students were being relatively well behaved, many of them clearly a bit uncomfortable with the formality of the situation. She understood how they felt. She and her schoolmates had been intimidated by wearing dress robes and learning how to dance formally and being reminded by Minerva on how they would be judged by their manners. She knew that would change as the evening wore on, but dealing with hormonal teenagers was one of the constant challenges of teaching at a boarding school.

Unfortunately, by the time all the students had taken their seats, Hermione found the only seat at the staff table was between Nahima and Flitwick with Remus seated on the other side of the table. Not that she didn't enjoy conversing with them, but she had hoped to flirt with Remus, or at least attempt it.

* * *

Finally, dinner was over and the dancing part of the evening was ready to begin. She watched wistfully as the champions led their dates onto the dance floor and thought about how euphoric dancing with Viktor Krum had been. She had had such a grand time at her Yule Ball with Viktor. He had been the perfect gentleman and danced divinely.

Once she saw Minerva accept a dance from Dmitri Valeyev, she figured this would be as good a time as any to ask Remus to dance since she was almost positive he would not ask her. By the time she made it to where he was standing, Nahima was dancing with Pierre Mondeaux and Pomona with Archimedes Jones. "Care to dance?" she asked casually.

"With me?" he sounded shocked.

She smiled at him. "Of course with you." She held her hand up, offering for him to escort her onto the dance floor.

He hesitated for a moment before taking her hand. When they started dancing it was a bit awkward, but soon both found themselves lost in the music, waltzing perfectly in sync. She looked fondly into his eyes, willing him to open up to her, to not be afraid of his past.

When the song ended, she saw a hint of sadness in his smile. "I think we should keep an eye on the students, but thank you for dance."

She didn't want to let go, but she did. "I'm sure we can find time for at least one more before the evening is over."

He gave her a sad smile before melting into the crowd.

She did manage one more dance from him before the Flaming Dragons took the stage, but he still held back. She longed to get him to open up to her, to not be afraid of his emotions. All the signs were that he was attracted to her, but she just couldn't get him to act on those feelings. Of course, doing that in front of a good portion of the Hogwarts' student body probably was not the wisest course of action, but maybe she could get him to open up somewhere quiet.

As the evening progressed, the professors took turns monitoring student behavior inside and out in the enchanted rose garden. She found herself lost in thought, remembering her Yule Ball. For the most part it had been a very enjoyable evening. Viktor had been a wonderful dancer and had treated her like a lady. They had even sat out in the enchanted rose garden and talked for a little while, just getting to know each other. A part of her wondered what would have happened had he not returned to Durmstrang. The last she heard he was still playing Quidditch in Bulgaria. The one dark spot that night had been Ron's childish behavior. She pushed this from her mind. Wisely she had moved on from Ron, realizing that they were too different to be anything other than friends. She turned the corner in the rose garden and ran smack into someone. She would have fallen over if he hadn't have caught her.

"Are you all right?" Remus asked cautiously, holding her shoulders to keep her from falling.

"I'm fine. I'm sorry. I should have been looking where I was going instead of wool gathering." She knew she should have found something better to say, but her brain wasn't working properly. Not that she had ever really excelled at flirting anyway.

Once sure she was steady on her feet, he released her. "It's quite alright. It's a bit of a maze here, and I should have seen you."

After a few awkward seconds, she said, "Thank you for the dances earlier."

"It was a nice break from the usual, wasn't it?" he replied.

For two people who normally had no problem finding something to talk about, this was about the most awkward conversation Hermione could imagine. "Lovely evening, isn't it?" she finally said as she looked up into the clear night sky at all the stars.

He followed her gaze. "Very."

“I’ve always enjoyed stargazing, especially on a crisp winter evening when you can see the Milky Way,” she said as she pointed up at it.

“I’ve never really been much for watching the stars, but it is quite lovely,” he said as he followed where she was pointing.

She reached down and laced her fingers in his, pleased that he didn’t resist her holding his hand. “I always enjoyed studying the mythology behind the names of the stars and constellations.” She pointed at the Seven Sisters. “I find the Pleiades, or Seven Sisters one such myth. I had thought it just a story, but now… Well, living in the Wizarding World, I’ve discovered there is quite a bit of truth in a lot of myths.” She looked longingly at him.

He turned to face her. “There is, isn’t there?”

She decided this was her moment and she stood up on her toes and gently let her lips brush against his. When he didn’t pull away, she placed her hand behind his head and pressed her lips harder against his, gently probing with her tongue until he parted his lips. She felt his arm on her back and she was pleased that he was returning her kiss.

When he finally broke the kiss, he leaned his forehead against hers, “Hermione…” he said, an incomplete thought.

“Remus,” she responded, making her desire clear in her voice if he hadn’t gotten the hint from the kiss.

Before either of them could do or say anything else, they heard the sound of students giggling nearby.

“I’ll go take care of that,” he offered and walked away before she could protest.

After he was gone, Hermione stomped her foot in frustration. She knew that finding him alone for the rest of the evening would be unlikely, but hopefully with this step, he would realize that she was trying to move their relationship along out of the friend zone.

The rest of the evening Remus seemed to be avoiding her, concerned with ensuring the students behaved properly and weren’t sneaking off to dark corners of the castle. Hermione found herself wishing she could sneak off to a dark corner with him.

Finally, all the students were shooed back to their respective dormitories. She looked around but found that Remus was nowhere to be seen, likely having headed home for the rest of the holidays. Her plan for one last moment that evening was gone.


	6. Chapter 6

Remus didn’t sleep much following the Yule Ball. He was the first one at breakfast and had already fed Teddy who was quietly playing in the other room. When Andromeda joined him, she asked, “How was the Yule Ball last night?”

He was picking at his eggs. “About what you would expect. As the evening wore on, the teenagers became more hormonal, and I doubt that was helped by the Flaming Dragons taking the stage.”

“And?” Andromeda prodded, clearly able to tell something was bothering him.

“And what?” he asked, not sure if he was ready to discuss it with her.

“Something is clearly bothering you, and I highly doubt it's hormonal teenagers. What is it?” She asked gently as she placed her hand on his.

“It’s… I don’t know. A little odd, maybe.” 

She said nothing, but rather gave him a reassuring look.

“During the dancing, I danced a few times, a couple with Hermione. Later we were patrolling the rose garden, looking for students who were taking things a little too far. We got to talking.” He paused, having thought a lot about the kiss, he still wasn’t entirely sure what had happened. “I don’t know exactly what happened, but she kissed me and then… I was returning her kiss.”

“And?” Andromeda asked when he didn’t continue.

“I heard some students giggling and left to make sure they weren’t doing anything they shouldn’t be doing.” He was a bit embarrassed by his behavior, both returning the kiss and running from Hermione.

“And then?” Andromeda prodded.

He shoved his eggs around his plate. “I spent the rest of the evening avoiding her,” he finally admitted.

“Why would you do that?” she asked gently.

“I kissed her!” he protested, finally abandoning all pretenses of trying to eat and dropping his fork to the plate.

“So? Sounds like it was a mutually desired kiss,” Andromeda countered before taking a sip of her tea.

He knew she was right, but he wasn’t ready to admit it. “It’s not right.”

“Why not? You have every right to get on with your life.” Something she had mentioned on more than one occasion.

“But… Dora…” he protested. Even though it had been more than five years, it felt like he was betraying her memory by kissing someone else.

Andromeda once again placed her hand on his. “She has been gone for more than five years. She wouldn’t want you to live your life alone.”

“I’m not alone. I have Teddy,” Remus defended, fully aware of how silly his defense sounded.

“That’s different. Teddy is your son, not… something more,” Andromeda hinted.

“She was my student!” he protested.

“Years ago. Besides, you have taught most of the witches under 30. Anyway, she’s your colleague now.”

“That’s another thing.”

“No, it’s not,” Andromeda said pointedly. "Plenty of people date their coworkers."

“I'm still twenty years older than she is.” He was trying any defense that came to mind, but Andromeda wasn't letting him win. She was countering his every point.

“It doesn’t seem to bother her if she kissed you. Besides she’s only six years younger than Dora.”

"But I'm, I'm… me," he leaned forward, unable to mention is affliction. Remus then leaned back in his chair and ran his fingers through his hair.

“Remus, she knows what you are. Why are you forcing yourself to be miserable? Didn’t you learn anything from the past?” she said gently.

“I did,” he said quietly. “I learned how much it hurts to lose someone you love. I… don’t want to go through that again, or put someone else through it.” He knew that even without his affliction, Hermione would outlive him. With what he was, it would likely be by many decades.

“Remus, the hurt just means you are human. It hurts because of the happiness you experienced. Would you deny yourself that feeling of happiness again just to avoid the pain?” She asked, the wisdom of her experience behind her words.

He knew what she was saying was the truth. He had focused everything on Teddy because it pushed away the hurt. Other people, including Andromeda, had moved on with their lives, and he was stagnating, scared of moving forward, scared of being hurt again. His life had been full of hurt and disappointment that stemmed from people figuring out his secret. Of course, it was no longer a secret.

“You shouldn’t,” she said softly. “You haven’t seen me hiding away at home, have you?”

“No.” About a year after the war, Andromeda had resumed a social life, encouraging Remus to do the same, but he had always balked, hiding behind his responsibilities to Teddy.

“And it’s not like she doesn’t like Teddy. You told me about the Quidditch match and how she seemed to enjoy explaining the game to him.”

“True.” That had been a surprise for him. He had never really gotten the impression that Hermione was overly fond of Quidditch, but she had explained the game quite well to Teddy, getting him to try to find the Snitch and just keeping him engaged in the match.

“Remus, there is a witch showing interest in you, and you clearly have an interest in her. Don’t ignore it for a silly excuse. You should see where it goes,” she urged.

“Maybe you’re right.” He knew there were no maybes about it, that she was right, but he was still scared to move on with life, to find someone else, to replace Dora.

“I’m right, Remus. It’s time to stop living in the past. That doesn’t mean you have to forget it, but you have to stop letting it control your present,” Andromeda said sagely.

“I know. I’ll think about it. There’s still time until term resumes.” He knew this was going to require a lot of thought. He knew that he had lost a lot of time by trying to push Dora away, and he knew that their marriage hadn’t been easy. But now, times were different. He was different. His life was different. Finally he decided he didn’t feel much like finishing his breakfast and excused himself from the table. He needed some time to think.

* * *

Hermione decided to visit Harry and Ginny on Boxing Day. She knew that they would have gotten together at The Burrow for Christmas proper and would be enjoying a quiet day at home.

Ginny greeted her at the door with a hug. "Hermione, so good to see you. We were beginning to wonder if you would come up for air or stay buried in your work at Hogwarts."

"And I suppose Harry bet I'd stay at Hogwarts," she gave him a knowing glance.

"Well, I've seen how much you love spending time in the library, and I have to imagine with the break that would be your preferred activity."

She blushed. Harry knew her so well. "Usually yes, but I've realized I haven't been getting out as much as I should. And I really should make more time for the two of you."

"Yes, you should," Ginny offered. "We have some news that might help you keep that promise," Ginny said as she took hold of Harry's hand.

"Oh?" Hermione asked.

Ginny smiled broadly. "We're expecting. Next June."

"Congratulations. That's fantastic news. Then you're done with Quidditch now?" Hermione was truly happy for them. She knew they would be fantastic parents.

"Playing. I've been putting out some feelers for Quidditch related jobs. I heard Magnus Morgan is retiring from the Daily Prophet, and I might be able to get a job writing about Quidditch. After all, I'm a bit of an insider as a retired player. If not, I'm sure there is something else. We'll see how it works out with the little one, but I'd love to stay involved with it. But I'm really looking forward to this next chapter of our life."

"It's a big one, but I'm sure it'll be amazing."

"What about you? You aren't keeping buried at the castle, are you?" Harry asked.

Hermione sighed. "I have."

"You should get out, see people. If you'd like, I can arrange a double date, that way if it doesn't work out, you'll at least have us for company," Harry offered.

"I appreciate the offer, but…" She trailed off, not sure if she was ready to admit her feelings. Yes, she had admitted them to Minerva who had given her encouragement, but this seemed different, more awkward.

"But what?" Ginny prompted. "Surely you don't want to spend your life alone. I know it didn't work out with you and Ron, but that's not a reason to swear off dating."

Hermione laughed weakly. "No. I haven't sworn of dating." She nervously laced her fingers together in her lap. "I've sort of found someone."

"How do you sort of find someone?" Ginny asked cautiously.

"Well, it's a bit like you and Harry before you admitted you had a crush on him," she said evasively.

"Who do you have a crush on?" Ginny asked. "And you should let him know. Goodness knows I wish I had said something earlier, but it worked out in the end." She gave Harry's hand a squeeze.

Hermione smiled at her friends. While it had worked out for them, she had no idea how it would work out for her. "It's Remus Lupin. We've been taking tea together once a week since the start of term, at first just because he was someone who talked to me like an equal, but lately, well, it's more than that, at least for me. I have no idea what he thinks because he won't talk to me about it."

"Wow!" Harry said.

Hermione arched an eyebrow. "That's it?" she asked. She wasn't sure what she had expected, but something more than that.

"Well, it's just… It's really unexpected. Not that there is anything against Remus," Harry added quickly. "I mean, I don't know. I just thought you'd pick someone… younger," he finished quietly.

"I didn't really pick him. I mean when he first returned to the staff, I looked at him differently than I had as a student, but I was never thinking about that. But over time, I guess I developed a bit of a crush on him because we get along so well. As for telling him, I don't know. I've been hinting—"

"Doesn't work," Ginny interjected. "No offense to you, Harry, but guys can be a bit obtuse when a girl is trying to get his attention."

"Hey!" he said defensively.

"She's right, Harry. You were a bit thick about it," Hermione added. "But this is so different. As Harry said, there's a big age gap. And while he treats me as an equal when we talk, which is a fair bit better than most of the rest of the staff, how do I know that he sees me as… I don't know… someone to date. In fact, I'm pretty sure that he hasn't dated since… And we all know how hesitant he was to get involved with Tonks."

"A lot of things have changed since then. I mean everyone knows what he is and it isn't a problem. Well, if it is, those people are keeping pretty quiet about it," Harry said.

"Hermione, I know it's hard, but you are going to have to talk to him about it. Just be forthright and get it all out there," Ginny advised.

"I pretty much did that at the Yule Ball. We were out in the rose garden and I was trying to flirt, but probably not doing a good job of it, and… I kissed him," she finished at a near whisper.

"You kissed him?" Ginny asked, trying to confirm what she had heard.

Hermione nodded.

"And how did it go? What sort of kiss was it?" Ginny prodded.

"It started as a simple kiss and when he didn't protest, it became a more passionate kiss. In the end we were both breathless, and before anything meaningful could be said, we heard students nearby, and he left to go see what they were up to and that was really it. He spent the rest of the evening avoiding me. So how do I talk about it after that?"

"Seems to me that's a good opening," Ginny said. "If he returned the kiss, it seems that he does see you as a potential partner. I mean, I can't see him going around snogging just anyone."

"I have a hard time seeing you just snogging anyone," Harry quipped.

Ginny elbowed him for that. "Look, that kiss is going to let him know how you feel. Maybe he just needs some time to sort out his feelings. If he hadn't really been looking at you like that, he probably just needs some time."

"It's just going to be awkward if I was wrong," Hermione said.

"Well, let's just hope you weren't wrong. Personally, I think the two of you would be good together," Ginny said. "The real test will be whether he seeks you when he gets back or avoids you."

"I think that's a fair assessment. Nothing left for me but to wait and see since he won't be back until the Sunday before classes start."

* * *

January 4, 2004

Hermione was eagerly awaiting the end of the holidays. She had spent a few days with her parents, but as always it was an awkward visit. Their two worlds and lives had diverged. At least as a teacher she now held a profession her parents could understand, but there was so much about her life that they didn’t understand. She had been circumspect about her relationship with Remus, not sure how her parents would feel about that. Of course, she wasn’t exactly sure what sort of relationship she had with him. She knew that the staff arrived at Hogwarts the morning before the majority of the students arrived. Most who had stayed for the Yule Ball had returned home to finish the holidays with their families, though more than usual had remained at Hogwarts for the whole period. Even with the larger than usual number of students, she had hoped to catch Remus before dinner.

As such, she was going over her lesson plan in the staff room, hoping he would stop by on his return. She found that she wasn’t really able to concentrate and kept glancing at the door every time she heard a noise.

“There you are,” Remus said warmly as he walked into the room shortly after two in the afternoon. “I stopped by your office, but you weren’t there.”

“I opted for a little change of scenery since I spend so much time there during the school year. How was the rest of your holiday?” She asked as she put her quill down on the table.

“Pleasant. And you?” He took a seat in a nearby armchair.

She had hoped that he would have offered up something more. “Not bad. I spent a few days with my parents, stopped by to see Harry and Ginny. They’re expecting.”

“That’s wonderful news.” There was an uncomfortable silence. “About the Ball…”

“Yes?” Hermione asked, hoping she didn’t sound too eager.

“I was caught off guard.” He paused, clearly uncomfortable. “I had a good time.”

Hermione smiled warmly. “So did I.” When he didn’t say anything else, she offered, “Maybe you’d like to have our weekly tea at the Three Broomsticks instead of here?” She hoped this wasn’t being too forward.

After a brief pause, he replied, “I think that might be nice. I’ll stop by your office after class on Tuesday.”

“I look forward to it. If you’d like, it’s just about tea time.” She shoved her papers off to the side so there would be room for the tea service.

“I’d love to,” he said, joining her at the table. Of course, they still talked about everything other than the kiss. Neither one of them clearly feeling the time was right.

* * *

January 6, 2004

Remus had known that acknowledging the kiss would move their relationship forward, but he had been shocked when Hermione had suggested that they have tea at the Three Broomsticks, especially since it wasn’t necessarily known for its tea, though he had to admit that he was glad that she hadn’t chosen Madame Puddifoot’s. Of course, that didn’t seem like the type of establishment she enjoyed. To him, the Three Broomsticks was a fairly non-threatening environment.

He tried not to appear nervous when he arrived at her office. "Ready?" he asked as he leaned casually against the door frame, his cloak draped over his arm.

She smiled warmly at him. "I am." As she left her office, she grabbed her cloak off the hook. "It should be a nice walk."

"I hope so. Weather can be so fickle this time of year." He was also aware that the sun would be setting about the time they would be heading back to the castle. None of them had ever enjoyed this time of year when it got dark so early, but at least it would mean it would be less likely that any of the students would notice them walking back from the village.

As they walked down to the village, Remus said, "Once again, I apologize for my behavior at the Yule Ball."

"You don't have anything to apologize for," she reassured. "It was all kind of sudden."

"Perhaps not so sudden," he said knowingly.

"Oh?" she asked innocently.

"I've suspected for some time how you feel about me. It's just…" he trailed off, unsure of how to proceed. For months he had hoped his lack of romantic interest would cause her to look elsewhere for that type of companionship.

"It hasn't been easy for me, either. I know how complicated everything is," she reassured.

"It really is. I didn't think I wanted any more complications to my life, but… I find that's changing." He found this an incredibly difficult conversation to be having. The last five years he had poured his entire being into raising Teddy, hiding from the past, running from the past.

"That's good," she said as she reached down to take his hand in hers.

He gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "This feels good." He glanced at her and saw the look of confusion. "Not just holding hands, but having someone I can confide it, someone I can trust, someone I can just be me around."

"It does, doesn't it? I don't have to be Professor Granger around you. Even around the others I feel that's who I have to be, that I can't be Hermione. But you… I'm very comfortable around you."

"For reasons I don't understand," he said. She was bright, young, beautiful, full of life and could do so much better than him. Of course, that was the same thing he had thought about Dora, and she had been adamant about wanting him. He should take Andromeda's advice and not waste time, but embrace what she was offering.

"You're a good man, Remus. Bright, well-read, always up for a discussion. Compassionate, caring, selfless," she enumerated.

He interrupted, "Why am I not surprised you have a list of my positive attributes." He smiled warmly at her.

She hooked a lock of hair behind her ear and looked away as her cheeks flushed. "I guess you know me too well," she replied shyly.

"And I find that sort of behavior endearing." He knew that some others might find it annoying, that she had been labeled a know-it-all, but he had always been interested in furthering his knowledge.

"You would be one of the few," she replied sadly.

"It's everyone else's loss, then."

There was a long silence before she asked, "So what is it you see in me?"

He stopped and she also stopped and turned to face him. "I see incredible hope and optimism. I see someone who is strong and will fight for what's right. I also see someone who is a bit afraid of her emotions." He placed his hand on her cheek and brushed it with his thumb.

"I think I'm not the only one," she said quietly, as she leaned into his touch.

"No. You're not," he replied simply before leaning down and kissing her softly on the lips. When he broke the kiss, he resumed walking to the village.

Hermione had to give a short jog to catch up to him. "What changed?" she asked simply.

"Everything," he replied evasively.

"That's a rather vague answer," she retorted.

"Indeed it is. Let's get inside and maybe I can explain better." He felt this would probably be easier sitting with a warm beverage, preferably alcholic.

While they enjoyed a light repast and warm drinks, Remus told her of the discussion he had had with Andromeda. "As you can imagine, what happened to Dora, hurt… a lot. I buried myself in caring for Teddy in part because I knew that's what she would have wanted, but also to bury my feelings, to hide from the rest of the world. I think that's why Andromeda and Minerva conspired to get me to accept the Defense position.

"Andromeda has actually been gently pushing me to get on with my life for a few years now, but… I just never felt good enough. I felt that people would judge me for what I was. For surviving. Wondering why I was the one who survived and not Dora." He looked down at his hands. "It was something I wondered a lot, something I let consume too much of my mental energy. There were a lot of times that I wished our places had been reversed, that Teddy would have been better off with her than with me." It both hurt and felt as though a great weight were being lifted by admitting this to Hermione. Some of this he had not even confided in Andromeda.

Hermione reached her hand out for his. "I think you've done a marvelous job with Teddy. He's lucky to have his father."

Remus smiled weakly at her words. "I suppose. It's taken me a long time to accept my survival, but then again, I don't think I wanted to. And I've known how you felt about me for a couple of months now, but it didn't seem right. I tried to push Dora away for the same reasons I've tried to push you away. I just feel like I will be a burden on anyone, that there are far better choices than me. I guess I just needed someone to open my eyes and make me confront my feelings. Something I doubt would have happened if not for the kiss at the Yule Ball."

"Where do we go from here?" Hermione asked tentatively.

He reached across for her hand. "I think we take it one step at a time. This was a good one. I still don't know what you see in me. You could easily choose someone younger, someone healthier."

"I've tried that and it hasn't worked out. There's just something about you that I haven't found in anyone else. And now that I've found it, I don't want to look for it anywhere else."

He smiled fondly, then he looked out the window as he heard the wind begin to howl. He frowned. "It looks like weather is moving in. We should get going before it gets worse."

"We could always wait it out here," Hermione offered.

"As much as I would love to, I need to return to the castle for my potion." He had known he was taking a risk heading to Hogsmeade the day before full moon, but it had seemed important to Hermione, and he knew that they would talk much more freely away from the castle.

"Oh, right," Hermione blushed, apparently having forgotten about the full moon. She reached into her pocket to throw a few sickles on the table.

Once they were settled up, they cast warming and water repelling charms and headed back to Hogwarts.

Unfortunately, it got much worse as they walked back, and their charms had become ineffective by the time they reached the castle.

"You're positively soaked," Remus stated as he cast a drying charm first on her and then on himself. "Let's get you in front of a fire." He led her up to his office so he could get his potion before heading to his quarters. Once inside he flicked his wand at the fireplace, and the fire instantly sprung to life. Even though her cloak was now dry, he took it from her and hung it by the door. Once they were seated before the fire, he quickly downed his potion and then pulled her close to him to share his warmth. With another flick of his wand, he summoned a throw blanket and wrapped it around the two of them.

"This feels good," she said as she leaned up against him.

"It does, doesn't it?" He wondered why he had been so dead set against getting involved with someone. Leaning down, he kissed the top of her head, and she snuggled closer against him. "You're sure about this, about me? Given what I am?"

She gently rubbed his chest with her hand. "I am. Your lycanthropy doesn't matter to me."

"That I'm a father doesn't matter to you?" He knew it might be difficult for someone to accept another person's child.

"Why should that matter?" she asked as she looked into his eyes.

"Because there are times where I will have to put him first. Because…"

"He's not mine?" she finished. Remus nodded. "Just because he's not mine doesn't mean I couldn't love him, too."

"Too?" he asked curiously.

"I would have thought the kiss would have made it obvious," she said coyly.

"Would have made what obvious?" he asked innocently.

She smiled up at him. "You're not that obtuse."

"I think that maybe I am," he said playfully before capturing her mouth in a kiss, which she eagerly returned.

"Have you figured it out now?" she asked breathlessly when they broke the kiss.

"I believe that I have," he said as he nibbled at her neck, emboldened by the approaching full moon, but still reluctant to be the first to voice his feelings.

"Oh, Remus," she moaned.

It was music to his ears and fueled a fire in his loins that had been long dormant, and he cupped her breast before capturing her mouth with a hungry kiss.

Suddenly she pulled back. "I-I think maybe we should head down to dinner," she stammered quietly.

"We could take dinner here," he offered, emboldened by the desires of the wolf inside, has hand caressing her arm.

She protested, "I think that could be dangerous."

"Do you find me dangerous?" he asked as he leaned closer to her, trying to steal another kiss.

"I think being alone with you could be dangerous," she replied knowingly, while gently pushing him away.

"How so? We're both adults?" The wolf in him could smell her desire, a desire he mirrored.

She finally pulled away and rose to her feet. "We are, but I think that this might be rushing things a little. I'll see you after the full moon," she said as she grabbed her cloak and slipped out of his quarters.

Remus was disappointed, but he knew she had a point. He leaned back against the sofa for a few minutes, composing himself before he returned home. He was also disappointed with himself for allowing the wolf so much control, something he had always tried so hard to prevent. He knew it would be a long, sleepless night as he would reconsider his actions for most of the night.

* * *

Before heading down to dinner, Hermione stopped in her quarters to compose herself. While she had been pleased that Remus was finally acting on his feelings, she had not expected him to be so forward. A part of her wondered if the approaching full moon had anything to do with that. She realized they had never really talked about his lycanthropy and how it might affect him. Basically, all she knew was what had been in their books.

Checking herself in the mirror, she decided she was ready to head to dinner. A part of her wondered if Remus would be there, but she found it unlikely. She hoped that he didn't take her behavior the wrong way. She did want to be with him, she just hadn't expected it to happen so soon after he opened up.

Arriving in the Great Hall, she was pleased to see the seat next to Minerva was open. She knew she would have to be somewhat circumspect at the table, but she needed someone to talk to. And they could always retire somewhere private after the meal was over. "Good evening, Minerva," she said as she took her seat.

"Good evening, Hermione," she replied. "Though I am a bit surprised to see you here for dinner," Minerva said with a little twinkle in her eye. "Is everything alright?"

"I think it is, but I don't know. We had a good discussion about what happened at the Yule Ball." Hermione had met with Minerva over the break to discuss her impulsive kiss and Remus' reaction. "And it seems to have helped things change, but perhaps they have changed too quickly." She leaned closer to Minerva. "Have you noticed his behavior changing around full moon?"

"Not really, though your situation may be different. I'm afraid you'd have to ask him," Minerva replied.

"That won't be at all uncomfortable," Hermione said sarcastically before taking a bite of her roast pork.

"Did you want to talk about what happened?" Minerva asked gently.

"I do, but not here." While she knew the students were unlikely to be able to hear what they were discussing, she wasn't sure she wanted to expose her personal life to those sitting around them.

"Why don't we finish dinner and we can have a nightcap in my office?" Minerva offered.

"I'd like that." Hermione finished her dinner quickly, but not too quickly. She let Minerva leave a couple of minutes before her. 

By the time she made it up to the Headmistress' office, Minerva had two measures of Scotch poured out. Hermione recapped her evening. "It was a pleasant walk down to Hogsmeade, we used it to clear the air from the Yule Ball, and he even gave me a soft kiss. It seems Andromeda was able to talk some sense into him. We had a great time at the Three Broomsticks, talking about how we are willing to accept each other flaws and all." It had taken Hermione a long time to admit that she was not perfect, that being a perfectionist was one of her flaws. "At that point we noticed the weather taking a turn for the worse and decided to see if we could get back to the castle before it got too bad since he needed to return and take his potion. Once back," she paused, realizing that this was a little uncomfortable to recount.

"Go on," Minerva urged gently.

Hermione took a sip of her drink and grimaced at the bite of the Scotch. "We cuddled in front of the fire, getting warm. Shared a few kisses. Then… He got more forward. He didn't do anything wrong," Hermione added defensively, she didn't want to leave Minerva with the wrong impression. "I just wasn't expecting him to try to move our relationship forward so quickly. He didn't get ugly or anything when I left, but he really made it known that he wanted me to stay."

Minerva took a sip of Scotch. "Well, that is rather uncharacteristic, isn't it?"

"Exactly. I mean I hadn't expected the kiss on the way to the Three Broomsticks, either. Maybe on the way back. You don't think he'll see my behavior as rejecting him?" As was typical, she was probably overanalyzing the situation.

"I highly doubt it."

"Did I make a mistake going back to his quarters? Did that send the wrong signal?" She had been analyzing the evening ever since she left his quarters.

"It's hard to say. The way you put it, I would say no, but if the moon affects his behavior, possibly." Minerva watched as Hermione took a sip of the Scotch. "One thing about relationships is you have to be able to have difficult discussions for them to succeed."

Hermione leaned back, sighed and took another sip of her drink. "I know that. I'd just rather hoped to not have to address something so difficult so early on. I fully expected him to ask me how I felt about Teddy, and I know that I have to accept both of them. Not that it's hard with Teddy. But, just given how long it took to reach the point where he could admit he likes me, this evening was unexpected."

"Talk to him," Minerva urged.

"But when? Now or after the full moon? I'm afraid if I try to talk to him before… And then what?"

Minerva considered her words. "Perhaps waiting until after the full moon would be best. But the sooner the better."

Hermione finished her drink. "Thank you. I really appreciate having someone to talk to about this."

"I'm happy to provide advice," Minerva said as she showed Hermione out.


	7. Chapter 7

January 8, 2004

Remus regained his human form and rolled onto his back. He didn't completely understand what Nahima was doing with the Wolfsbane Potion, but he found he was recovering much more quickly. It only took him a few minutes to feel strong enough to dress. He knocked on the door to let Nahima know he was ready.

"It seems my improvements are helping," she saw has he was no longer leaning heavily on his cane.

"Definitely. I never thought I would feel this good. And it was much less painful, more of a pressure as I transformed."

"Good, good. I have incorporated parts of the Invigorating Draught into the potion. I had hoped that it would not interfere and it seems like I was correct. Hopefully I can make a serious improvement after the next eclipse. I have high hopes that the kivuli will have some effect."

He had tried to research the kivuli, but there was almost nothing written about it. He had only found it catalogued in one book about magical plants, but it had included nothing more than the fact it bloomed during the eclipse. There was nothing written about what its magical properties might be. "Even if it doesn't, this is far better than what I was experiencing. I think I'll be able to make it up to my quarters on my own." Considering how he felt, he thought he possibly could have taught class.

As Remus made his way up to his quarters, he considered what had transpired in his quarters with Hermione two nights ago. He knew the wolf was partially responsible for his behavior, and it embarrassed him that he had been unable to control those urges. He had thought it was a bad idea to go out with Hermione so close to the moon, but he had felt that he could not refuse her invitation without setting their relationship back.

After taking breakfast in his quarters and cleaning up, he decided to pay Minerva a visit. He knew that Tacitus MacTavish was teaching his first period class so she should be in her office. He was quite pleased that he was able to make the walk without getting winded. He knocked on the door and waited for her to acknowledge him. "Good morning, Minerva," he said as he limped lightly into her office.

"Remus! What a surprise to see you. Nahima told me her improvements were helping, but I never imagined to see you up and around first thing." She gestured to a small settee. "Tea?"

"No thank you. I had plenty with breakfast," he said as he took his seat. "It feels good. She's been wonderful and perhaps this should encourage other Potions Masters to work with people from other regions. She's been using a lot of African remedies in the potion to make improvements. I wanted to let you know that I think I can teach the rest of my classes today."

Minerva asked cautiously, "Are you sure? We don't need you over exerting yourself."

"I'm sure. I can take a break over lunch if I need to." He had never liked being a burden on the others.

"Well, I'll be standing by if you find you can't make it."

"Thank you." He paused, still unsure if he wanted to bring up his personal life with Minerva. "There is one other thing."

When he didn't continue, she prompted, "Yes?"

He laced his fingers in his lap and stared at them. "Hermione and I went out the other day, before the moon. I… I may have been a bit forward."

Minerva raised her hand to stop him. "Remus, this is something you should be talking about with her, not with me."

"I know that, but how? I'm not proud of how I behaved." He was quite ashamed, almost disgusted.

"And that would be a very good starting point. And I believe the sooner you do it, the better." She paused a moment. "Does the waxing moon often affect you?"

He shook his head. "I hadn’t really noticed it before." He began to wonder if this was a side-effect of the changes Nahima was making to the potion or was born of his current circumstances.

"That's good. I do hope you’ll let me know if this becomes an issue. I'll send word to Hermione and Filius that they won't need to cover your classes.”

* * *

Remus found it refreshing to be teaching his classes. He was still a little tired, but it was nothing like he had experienced the rest of his life. It was helped by the fact that his fifth years had a quiz for half the period, and he could sit at his desk and recover from the class with the second years.

When the bell rang, he saw his class off, setting them an essay on kelpies due the following week. He hoped that if he hurried he could catch Hermione before she left her classroom. She was meticulous about leaving her desk clean and tended to be one of the last to lunch.

The further he walked the more he could feel himself leaning on his cane. When he got to her office, he could hear her muttering to herself as she cleaned up from her previous lesson. He took a moment to compose himself before he knocked on the door frame. He smiled at her as she looked up. "I was hoping you had a few minutes and we could talk," he said as he stepped just inside her classroom and stopped, hoping to appear non-threatening.

She held a stack of parchment to her chest. "I can spare a few minutes," she said cautiously.

He stayed back near the door. "I wanted to apologize for my behavior the other day. I'm not proud of it." He looked down at his shoes, unable to meet her gaze. "The wolf… the wolf showed himself a little too much, I'm afraid."

"Does that happen often?" she asked tentatively.

"I can't recall it happening. Had I known… Well, I wouldn't have agreed to go out with you on Tuesday. I wouldn't have put you in that position. I'm sorry." He looked up when he could hear her approaching.

"It's all a learning experience, isn't it?" she asked gently.

"It is." He placed his hand on her cheek. "I am truly sorry. I never intended to be that forward."

She looked into his eyes for several long seconds. "I think we just need to make sure that doesn't happen again."

"It won't. But I think to just make sure that perhaps we should take tea next week in the staff room," he offered.

"Perhaps not that safe. How about here in my office?" she suggested.

"I look forward to it. Now, how about we get some lunch? Maybe we'll get lucky and there will be two seats together," he offered. Though he didn't think they would have a problem sitting together. The rest of the staff almost seemed to be encouraging them to sit together.

As they walked out of her classroom, she said, "I was surprised to hear you were going to teach class this morning."

He chuckled softly. "So was I. I'm feeling much better than I ever have. I probably could have taught my full schedule today and maybe I'll have to set that up for next month."

"I think you should be careful about pushing yourself too hard, especially since Nahima is still making adjustments."

"She said the same thing to me."

"Well, maybe you will listen to one of us," she chided playfully.

He returned her smile. "Maybe, but I can be quite pig headed." 

"I've noticed," she replied dryly.

"You can be quite persistent yourself. And for that I am glad." Coming through the side door into the Great Hall, he saw that he was indeed correct. The last two seats on this end of the table were empty. He pulled Hermione's chair out for her before taking his seat on her left.

During lunch, they kept the conversation light. When Remus finished eating, he dabbed the corners of his lips with his napkin. "As much as I am enjoying our conversation, I should try and get a few minutes rest before my next class. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Tomorrow it is. Let me know if you need me to take your last class," she offered, clearly concerned about him overworking himself.

"I'll be fine," he said optimistically. He knew he had a little over thirty minutes before his class and that a quick twenty minute nap would do wonders.

* * *

February 7, 2004

It was a frigid morning, with the threat of snow looming in the gray skies. Hermione was looking forward to the second task of the Triwizard Tournament, though not sitting outside. Something had been going on in the Quidditch Stadium since just after Christmas, but it had been placed out of bounds and charmed to keep curious students and staff away, which had led to a temporary Quidditch practice area being set up between the lake and the forest.

She and Remus had agreed to meet up for this task so they could sit together. She was waiting in the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom for Remus and Teddy. A part of her had hoped that due to the threat of weather he would skip it since it was morning after full moon.

"Hi, Miss Hermione!" Teddy said enthusiastically, his hair rapidly changing between teal and fuchsia, as father and son walked into the classroom.

"Good morning, Teddy," she replied and then turned her attention to the father. "And to you, too, Remus. How are you feeling?" she asked cautiously.

"Quite well," he replied. "Are you ready?" he asked.

"As ready as I'm going to get. I'm just glad we can use magic to keep warm." She had memories of going skiing with her parents and being miserable because she was cold and wet.

"Most definitely," Remus replied.

As they walked out of the classroom and towards the castle entrance, Teddy said, "I hope this is more fun than the last one. We couldn't see anything."

Remus smiled at his son. "I'm sure it will be. After all, it's in the Quidditch stadium this time."

Hermione got the idea that he knew something she didn't. "I hope so," she replied. She recalled the maze from last time and how no one had been able to follow much of anything that was happening there unless one of the champions shot sparks in the air requesting help.

As they exited the castle, she cast a warming charm and pulled her cloak around herself. She saw Remus do the same for himself and Teddy. "Now remember, tell me if you get cold so I can renew the charm," Remus instructed.

"Okay, Dad," Teddy said as he skipped down the path, now oblivious to the cold.

"I envy his energy," Remus said.

"I think we all do," Hermione replied as she slipped her hand in his.

"Wow! Look at that!" Teddy exclaimed, pointing to the giant rock and ice formation that took up the whole quidditch pitch.

Hermione's mind ran through every magical creature she could think of. "I wonder what they have planned?" she asked curiously.

"We'll find out in a few minutes," Remus said as they took their seats in the front row of the staff box.

"You know, don't you?" Hermione asked.

Remus merely smiled at her and turned to watch his son bounce excitedly and try to guess what the task might be, as was much of the crowd based on the snippets of conversation Hermione could hear.

When Alasdair Maddock walked out, the crowd quickly settled down, waiting to hear what the second task was going to be. "Witches and wizards, welcome to the second task for the Triwizard Tournament," he said with magically amplified voice. "I know that all of you are curious as to what the second task will be. I assure you, you will not be disappointed. For this task, the Champions will have to make their way to the center of the stadium where there is a magical chest, which will hold a clue to the third and final task. Now, that won't be as easy as it seems. They will face several… obstacles along the way," he said with a sly grin.

He headed back out of the stadium and Hermione could see several witches and wizards from the ministry standing along the edges of the quidditch stadium who raised their wands and cast spells. Hermione waited for something, anything to happen, but didn't see anything.

Maddock's voiced echoed in the stadium, "First up is Ms. Necheyeva of Durmstrang!"

A door opened at one of end of the stadium and Necheyeva entered, clearly perplexed by what she was seeing and on guard for anything. She wasn't very far into the stadium when something small, or more precisely many small somethings, began attacking her. 

"What are those?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah, Dad, what are they?" Teddy asked curiously.

"Ice pixies," Remus replied simply.

"Ice pixies? I've never heard of them," Hermione said, which was saying a lot as she was a voracious reader and researcher.

"Similar in behavior and danger to doxies, but they live in the Himalayas. They are little studied because they live in such inhospitable areas."

Now Hermione began to wonder what else the champions would encounter, and she realized that she hadn't really read much on cold climate magical creatures. Most of what she knew was about the varieties you were likely to find in Britain or Europe. She thought of asking Remus, because he clearly knew something, but she knew he wouldn't tell her.

It took Necheyeva several minutes to fight off the swarm of ice pixies. She cautiously approached a large moat, approximately 30 feet across. With a wave of her wand, she created an ice bridge and was starting to cross when a massive creature reared its head out of the water and tried to capture her, smashing the bridge in the process. She barely made it back to the near side of her bridge.

"What is that?" Hermione asked.

Remus shook his head. "I have no idea."

"It's a big snake!" Teddy said excitedly.

Hermione had to admit it definitely had a serpent like appearance. She definitely did not envy the champions having to overcome what she considered very obscure magical creatures. She looked behind her, trying to see if Wilhelmine Grubly-Plank was close enough to ask, but unfortunately she was not.

Necheyeva approached the moat again, when the creature reared its head in attack, she attempted to stun it with Stupify, but her spell had little effect on a creature so large. After retreating a safe distance from the edge of the moat, she cast a spell that created a path of icebergs across the moat rather than than a bridge. She then took off at a run and began jumping over the icebergs. When the serpent attacked, she cast Petrificus Totalus and the serpent froze. Unfortunately the momentum of the creature caused it to fall back into the water, creating waves that threw her off balance. For a moment Hermione thought Necheyeva was going to make it, but as she jumped for the last ice berg, she lost her balance in fell into the water. Thankfully she was able to pull herself out on the far side, and after moving a safe distance away from the edge of the moat, she cast drying and warming charms.

Now she was faced with a climb to reach the cave at the center of the Quidditch pitch. With her wand held in one hand, she began her awkward ascent. She was not quite halfway up when she was attacked by herd of goat like creatures.

"Are those… dahu?" Hermione asked. She had of course heard of them because her parents had taken her skiing several times in Switzerland and they were legendary creatures to Swiss Muggles, akin to Snipes and other creatures Muggles assumed were legend.

"I think they are," Remus replied.

"What's a dahu?" Teddy asked. 

For once, Hermione deferred. "I mostly know the Muggle legends. They are a type of goat that lives in the Alps, rarely seen by Muggles and generally accepted to be mythological."

"This will be interesting as you get to see them. Just watch," Remus instructed, electing not to elaborate on the information Hermione provided.

One of the dahu charged Necheyeva who launched a stunner at it. Before the stunner hit its target, the dahu disappeared and reappeared a few feet away, once again charging Necheyeva.

"Oh, wow! Did you see that?" Teddy exclaimed, his hair going through a whole rainbow of colors.

"Indeed I did," Remus replied. "That's what makes them so dangerous, and why Muggles think they are mythical. They can spontaneously Apparate several feet from where they were to avoid danger.

Necheyeva had to fall back, find shelter as she determined what her plan of attack would be. Finally, she seemed to figure out a way past them. She cast a duplicating spell, which created duplicate images of her, and they all began scrambling up the hill. The dahu were confused to be confronted with a dozen intruders and the illusions bought Necheyeva enough time to get out of their territory.

The final part of the ascent, the crowd was seemingly holding its breath, waiting to see what other danger she would face. She was nearly to the cave when an angry Yeti charged her, throwing giant rocky snowballs at her. It took her several minutes to regroup from that, taking a snow ball to the back of her head, which momentarily stunned her. Finally, she seemed to remember that fire was the Yeti's weakness, and she hurled several fireballs at it. Hermione knew that sustained fire was a very difficult spell, and that was why Necheyeva was using fireballs. After about five minutes, she managed to drive the Yeti far enough from the cave entrance that she was able to rush in, grab the chest and hurriedly make her way back to the entrance, the serpent thankfully still confined by her spell.

"Wow!" Hermione said when it was all over. It had definitely taken everything Necheyeva had to finish the task, in twenty-two minutes and thirty-three seconds.

"That was thrilling, wasn't it?" Remus said.

"Moreso for some of us," Hermione said knowingly.

Remus merely grinned at her.

While Maddock entered the stadium to make an announcement, a team of witches and wizards worked on resetting the course and reversing the freezing charm on the serpent. "That was thrilling, was it not? I hope all of you found it enjoyable. I know Ms. Necheyeva found it quite challenging, but excellent job on her part persevering and completing the course. I know not all of you are familiar with all the creatures she experienced. First were the Ice Pixies, very similar to those native to Britain. Second she faced the tizheruk, which is native to parts of the Bering Sea off the coast of Alaska. Then during her ascent, she faced a herd of dahu, and finally I'm sure we all recognized the Yeti." He paused as he looked at the course. "It seems the crew has finished resetting and now we'll see how Ms. Burke handles the course."

“I hope she can make it,” Teddy said eagerly.

“I’m sure she’ll do just fine. Evelyn is a very bright girl,” Remus reassured.

Hermione gave him a sideways glance, wondering if he had given her any advice that would help in this task. She knew that he would never have told her outright what the dangers of task were, assuming Remus knew, but he might have steered her in the right direction.

Evelyn made quick work of the pixies, immobilizing them much as Hermione had done with the Cornish Pixies Lockhart had unleashed on them. She then cautiously approached the moat, expecting some sort of danger. From a distance, she cast a spell that threw one of the small boulders into the moat. This disturbed the tizheruk which came to the surface to see what was happening. Evelyn paced for more than a minute, clearly trying to devise a plan of attack. Instead of building a bridge, she transfigured another boulder into a something resembling a kayak. She then ran towards the moat, jumping onto her small boat and using a charm to propel it across the moat. The tizheruk snapped at the boat as she got to the far side, but the speed the boat was moving led to her being thrown onto the far shore.

“Good show!” Remus shouted as she stood up and brushed the snow and dirt off her clothes.

Evelyn looked up at the cave and scanned the rest of the hill, knowing that there had to be some sort of danger concealed in the landscape, but she had no idea what. Wand at the ready, she began climbing the hill. Hermione checked the time and mentally noted that Evelyn was five minutes ahead of Necheyeva. Given the ease at which Evelyn had dealt with the Pixies, Hermione was reasonably sure the dahu would not prevent much of an obstacle, but she knew the Yeti would not be easy to get past.

Hermione was right. Evelyn made quick work of the dahu by Disillusioning herself and cautiously approached the cave. When she got to within ten feet, the Yeti’s mighty roar could be heard echoing from inside the cave. Evelyn crouched low and held her wand at the ready. She moved closer to the cave, obviously hoping to draw out the Yeti. It wasn't long before it emerged from the cave. Evelyn sent a jet of fire from her wandtip, trying to drive the Yeti away from the cave entrance. She had to do so three more times as she closed on the entrance. Finally she felt the Yeti was far enough away that she ducked into the cave, grabbed the chest, and hurried down the hill. The Yeti threw a giant snowball at her, hitting her in the back and knocking her down. The crowd gasped as she rolled down the hill toward where the dahu were. She was dazed and barely reacted in time where one of the dahu was charging her. She cast a stunner at it, which it naturally dodged through Apparition. Evelyn hurried to her feet and Disillusioned herself until she got down by the moat where she stood back a safe distance and regained her wits.

Her previous boat had been destroyed, so she created another, hoping the same tactic would work. She secured the chest to the boat and took off at a run for the moat. Just as had happened previously, the tezheruk charged her boat, and she found herself flipped onto the shore. Quickly getting to her feet, she summoned the chest to her. After taking a few moments, she moved as quickly as she could down the hill, not knowing how much time she had left. She quickly immobilized the Pixies again and raced to the finish line, collapsing once she was across.

Maddock entered the arena. "Congratulations to Ms. Burke. That was an impressive display of magic and with a finishing time of nineteen minutes, that puts her ahead of Ms. Necheyeva." 

The Hogwarts student body erupted in a very loud cheer. Now their champion was handily in the lead for the second event. And she likely would have won the first had she not helped Necheyeva.

Maddock continued. "And now for our final champion, Mr. Lemonde!"

While Hermione enjoyed watching Lemonde's attempt, much of the drama was removed because they all knew what difficulties he would face. He vanquished the Ice Pixies more quickly than Necheyeva and Burke, and like Necheyeva tried to build an ice bridge, which was rather promptly attacked. He tried to stun the tizheruk, which again failed. Standing back from the moat, he tried to come up with a new plan of attack. He built another bridge and began lobbing fireballs towards the water as he ran over the bridge. Unfortunately the tizheruk seemed unphased by the fireballs and charged the bridge. Hermione covered her mouth as she saw the giant serpent make contact with the bridge, utterly crushing it. Lemonde was thrown into the water. The crowd eagerly watched, waiting for him to surface. After several seconds, a team of witches and wizards jumped into the arena and rescued him from the water, some of them corralling the tizheruk away from the rescue effort. Lemonde waved weakly to the crowd as he was carried out of the stadium.

“Oh, goodness!” Hermione said quietly.

“Is he going to be okay, dad?” Teddy asked, his hair suddenly it’s natural brown.

“He’ll be fine,” Remus reassured his son.

It was several long minutes before Maddock returned to his spot in the stadium. “Witches and Wizards, I am pleased to inform you that Mr. Lemonde was not seriously injured and will make a full recovery. Unfortunately he was unable to finish his task, which puts him in third place, both for this event and overall.”

"We're in the lead, aren't we, dad?" Teddy asked excitedly.

"Yes, we are. Ms. Burke did a fantastic job today. She's an amazing student," Remus replied. He turned to Hermione, "How about we celebrate the victory at The Three Broomsticks?"

She smiled warmly at him, having had that exact thought. "I think it would be perfect." While she would have preferred holding Remus' hand, she knew that Teddy wanted her to hold hers as well as his father's.

March 2, 2004

The first Tuesday in March, Hermione was joining Remus in his office for tea. She reasoned she had nothing to be nervous about, that they had left the castle grounds for tea and for lunch following Quidditch and the second Triwizard task, but this would be dinner, just the two of them, at a real restaurant, not the casual setting of the Three Broomsticks, especially since the weather had kept them mostly confined to the castle the last couple of months and after the events of their previous outing, neither of them had felt comfortable suggesting taking tea outside of their offices.

"Good afternoon," she said cheerfully.

He smiled broadly as he looked up from his grading and set his quill down. "Good afternoon. How did your morning class go?"

"It could have gone worse," she said as she conjured a tea service. "The students were changing Guinea fowl into Guinea pigs. It's still disturbing to see flying guinea pigs. Thankfully that's easy enough to fix."

Remus chuckled. "How well I remember that. I think Sirius left his guinea pig with wings on purpose to see how Minerva would react."

Hermione arched an eyebrow. "I don't think any of mine did it on purpose. How did the Boggart lesson go?"

"Well enough. I always find it interesting how the fears of twelve year olds differ so much from the fears of adults. It reminds me how innocent they are. Unfortunately, not everyone got to participate before the Boggart was banished." He finished stirring his sugar cube into his tea and took a sip.

Hermione remembered her own brush with the Boggart and how the fear it had shown her at the time seemed trivial now. While she wasn’t exactly sure what a Boggart would show her today, she knew it would be something more terrifying than failing all her exams. "I'm sure it won't be long before we find another one. This castle seems to do a good job attracting them." She paused for a few moments and when he didn't say anything, she said, "I was wondering if you had any plans next Wednesday?"

He thought for a moment. "Nothing comes to mind, why?"

"I thought you might like to go to dinner… for your birthday," she added when he seemed about to protest.

He looked thoughtfully at the ceiling for a few moments and sighed. "That is next week, isn't it?"

She could understand him not having thought about it. The older she got, the less she wanted to be reminded about it. "I thought it would be nice to have a quiet dinner at Indira's." It was one of the new restaurants that had opened in Hogsmeade that she had been meaning to try. Septima Vector had highly recommended it.

After an extended silence, he replied, "I think that would be nice."

"Consider it a date, then," she said, quite pleased that he had accepted her invitation. She had hoped that this dinner would have occurred sooner, but she had been unwilling to push, and he seemed so reluctant to make the first move after the wolf had taken control last time. So far there had been nothing more than the odd stolen kiss, but Hermione felt they were ready for something more.

* * *

March 10, 2004

Remus paced nervously in his office. Hermione would be joining him shortly for the walk to Hogsmeade. The weather was decent and there didn't seem to be any precipitation pending. This would be a dinner at a real restaurant and it made him nervous. Especially after he had behaved so poorly when they took tea at the Three Broomsticks. He resolved to behave better, more gentlemanly. Of course, that would be easier since it was three days after the full moon instead of the day before.

He hoped that she wouldn't make a big deal out of his birthday. Turning 44 was not a momentous occasion and one that was hardly worthy of celebration. There was a knock at his door, and he turned to face the entrance, quite pleased to see it was Hermione and not one of his students, though they had arranged to leave about ten minutes after dinner started in the hopes of missing both stragglers and the quick eaters.

“You look lovely,” he said simply. He could tell that Hermione had put some effort into her hair, but not enough that it looked overworked.

She blushed and looked away from him. “Thank you. Is my handsome birthday wizard ready for dinner?”

“Just as long as you haven’t orchestrated anything embarrassing, yes,” he replied jovially.

“That’s not the type of thing I do. I just want to have a nice quiet birthday dinner with you.”

As they walked down towards Hogsmeade, Remus found himself holding hands with Hermione. He reflected on how good that small pleasure felt and how it was something that he had almost denied himself. They didn’t talk about anything weighty on the walk to dinner, mostly about the minor magical creatures that he was using in his Defense Against the Dark Arts Class, and Hermione regaled him with the time Gilderoy Lockhart unleashed a swarm of Cornish Pixies into their class.

When they arrived at Indira’s, Remus was struck by how intimate the restaurant was. He knew that it was not something they had dealt with during Hogsmeade weekends because it was only open for dinner, and it was not the sort of place teenagers would want to congregate anyway. It was not frilly, but it was quite formal, definitely a restaurant geared towards adults serious about their food.

“It’s lovely,” Hermione said as she took in the dark wood paneling, soft lighting and quiet atmosphere. There were naturally crisp white linens on the tables, shiny silverware and brilliant China charging plates. This was definitely not the sort of place that Remus had ever been.

“That it is.” He felt a twinge as he knew the prices would be commensurate with that atmosphere, but he vowed that he would enjoy his birthday and force himself to overlook any prices today. Once they were seated he tried not to shift uncomfortably.

“Do you mind if I order the wine?” Hermione asked.

“Not at all. Nothing too bitter, if you please.” He had never really had much wine. Of course, for most of his life, he had not had the money to spend on such an extravagance anyway.

She perused the wine menu and announced, “I know just the wine. Of course that depends on what you want to order for dinner. Or perhaps we start with a white for appetizers and red for the main course?”

Remus wasn’t sure if polishing off two bottles of wine would be a good idea. “I’ll defer to you.”

Hermione ordered a buttery Chardonnay to go with their seared scallop appetizer and a Barolo, a varietal he had not heard of, but she instructed that it came from Italy and in her opinion was smoother and more flavorful than the more common Chianti. Since the restaurant specialized in Mediterranean fare, with a strong showing of Italian dishes on the menu, she ordered a baked Ziti. He decided to be somewhat adventurous and ordered beef brasato papparadelle. Hermione assured him that the Barolo would be an excellent match.

Before they could get much of a conversation in, the sommelier arrived with the Chardonnay. Hermione declared it wonderful and he tentatively took a sip. "This is amazing. I never thought a wine could be so smooth and buttery and not at all sweet.”

“Chardonnay is one of the milder wines, though some are very oaky and not this smooth. I hoped you would find this one enjoyable and it will go very well with the scallops.”

He smiled warmly at her. “You did very well.”

She took a sip of the wine and then reached into her bag. “Happy birthday!” she said cheerfully as she held out a present.

“You didn’t have to do that. Joining me for dinner would have been enough,” he said, slightly embarrassed.

“It’s nothing. You’re my friend, and I saw something I thought you would enjoy and decided this was as good a time as any to give it to you,” she replied offhandedly.

He opened the carefully wrapped box and saw that it was a first edition copy of Newt Scamander’s less well known _Class XXX Magical Creatures_. “Thank you. I think this will be a very useful book.” It had not been as nearly as successful as his first publication, and as such was more difficult to come by as it was currently out of print. He had borrowed the copy from the library several times, but he felt guilty keeping the book.

“I noticed you had repeatedly borrowed the copy from the library and thought you might like your own.”

“I do. Thank you.” He smiled warmly at her. 

He was more than halfway through his glass when the scallops arrived. He felt a very pleasant buzz. After savoring the first scallop, he said, “This was a marvelous idea. I’ll admit I was a bit skeptical because I wasn’t familiar with Indira’s.”

“I wasn’t either, but when Septima suggested I should give it a try, I decided that trying it together with you would be perfect.”

He still had half of his second glass left when the sommelier returned to open the Barolo. Remus had no idea how they would get through both bottles.

After their main courses had arrived and they had savored the first few bites, Hermione asked, “I was wondering if you had any plans over the Easter holidays?”

“Nothing in particular. Why?” He asked, his senses clearly dulled by the wine he had drunk.

“I was wondering… if you wanted to go somewhere together?” She said quickly.

“I’m sorry? I didn't catch that.” He hadn’t quite understood what she had said as it had all run together.

“Did you want to go somewhere together over the Easter holidays?” When he didn’t immediately answer, she added, “We could of course stay in separate rooms if you would like.”

He knew how difficult that must have been for her to ask. He was positive that if he asked Andromeda she would be more than happy to watch Teddy because Andromeda liked to bring up Hermione quite often in conversation. “I think that would be fun. And perhaps we need not have separate rooms, but separate beds. So where are you thinking about going?” He knew it was unlike her to not have a fully formed plan.

“I had thought that we could explore Cornwall and maybe Wales. I know of a lovely inn in Cornwall where I wouldn’t mind spending a few days. If there’s any place you would like to go, I’m more than happy to indulge. And it wouldn’t have to be the whole break.”

“I’ll have to think about it. I hadn’t planned on going anywhere, but I’m sure there are some interesting places we could visit together after the full moon.” She returned his smile, and he could feel his cheeks flush.

They somehow managed to finish the Barolo with dinner, and even with the food and his attempts to stay hydrated by drinking water, Remus was most definitely feeling the effects of the wine he had drunk. As he admired the ruby red glow of the last of his wine, he looked over the glass and saw Hermione. “I really was quite silly to try to push you away, wasn’t I?”

She looked down into her glass. “That’s the wine talking.”

“Not really. I was silly. You are lovely, interesting, fun to be around. In a word, perfect.” He reached his hand across the table, leaving it open and beckoning hers.

“Now I know it’s the wine. I’m far from perfect.” She let her hand rest on his.

He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. “Not to me.” He held up the last of the Barolo for a toast. “To the best birthday ever.”

She gently clinked his glass before also finishing hers. “Did we want to try to finish the Chardonnay?”

“It would be a shame to let it go to waste,” he said as he unsteadily poured a glass for each of them.

They ordered a panna cotta to share for desert since it would complement the Chardonnay.

Remus was feeling quite sated by the time they finished and settled the bill. He was not looking forward to the long walk back to Hogwarts. "I guess it's time to head back," he said sadly.

"It is a long walk back," Hermione said.

He did his best to be dignified as he rose to his feet, but he could feel himself swaying from all the alcohol. "My lady," he said as he offered her his hand.

She flushed and took hold of his hand. "Thank you."

The two of them managed to make it out of the restaurant without losing their balance. As they started walking back to the castle, Remus lost his balance and stumbled into Hermione. "I'm sorry. I'm not used to all the wine."

She wrapped her arm around his waist. "It was quite a bit of wine," she replied.

He also wrapped his arm around her. "Perhaps a bit too much, but I'll manage." He did his best to keep his balance and not lean too heavily on her. "I can't thank you enough for the wonderful dinner this evening. It really has been the best birthday." He stopped and pulled her into an embrace before leaning down to give her a tentative kiss. When she eagerly returned it, he parted her lips and held her tighter. He broke the kiss and was completely breathless and leaned his forehead against her. "I'm so glad you are in my life."

She smiled warmly at him. "Me, too. But I think we should head back to the castle."

"Of course." He wrapped his arm around her and let her guide him back to the castle. He was becoming more unsteady the further they walked, and he hoped he could make it back without embarrassing himself. By the time they made it to the castle, he found he could barely mount the stairs and his thoughts were becoming befuddled.

"Just a few more steps," Hermione urged gently.

"I can do it," he said, slurring his worlds slightly. He almost collapsed completely on Hermione when they got to his quarters.

She managed to get him to the floor without him dropping. She then pulled out her wand. "I hate to do this, but I don't want to leave you here." With a flick her wand, she Levitated him, removed his cloak, and directed him towards his bed. Before letting him down, she pulled back his covers and gently lowered him to the bed. She removed his shoes and then pulled the covers up. Leaning down, she kissed him softly on the lips. As she tried to pull away, he reached out and grabbed her.

"I love you, Hermione," he said softly.

Hermione smiled warmly at him. She knew that he was unlikely to remember this conversation, but she had suspected his feelings for some time. "I love you, too," she replied, not caring if he remembered it. "I'll be back in the morning to make sure you get up for class."

She let herself out of his bedroom and closed the door. She leaned against it. She wasn't sure how much of the evening he would remember. She hoped quite a bit of it. This wasn't exactly how she had planned the evening going, but she hadn't foreseen that he would get so inebriated off the wine. A small part of her wanted to stay with him until he sobered up some, but she reasoned they should both be sober when they took the next step in their relationship. When she came back to check on him in the morning, she would bring some potions to help ease the hangover he was sure to have. In fact, she would be partaking of them when she returned to her quarters. She had learned the hard way how hard it was to teach class after over indulging.

As she lay in her bed preparing to drift off to sleep, she held onto the thought that he had agreed to spend at least part of the Easter Holidays with her. She knew they would be interrupted by the full moon, but it was a small price to pay.

* * *

The following morning, Hermione felt very much like herself. She was sure the potions she had taken the previous night had been instrumental in her recovery. After showering and dressing, she put the potions in her pocket and headed to Remus' quarters. Once there, she let herself in, saying softly, "Remus?" She didn't expect a reply but wanted to be polite.

Entering his bedroom, she saw him lying on his stomach, his arm hanging over the edge of the bed and some drool on his pillow. Balancing on the edge of the bed next to him, she began gently brushing his hair and saying softly, "Remus? Remus, can you hear me? It's time to get up."

He momentarily opened one eye before rolling over and pulling the pillow over his head.

Gently she pulled the pillow away. "I brought you something to help you feel better, but I need you to sit up."

He moaned at her.

"Come on. It will really help." She gently pulled on him, encouraging him to sit up.

"The room," he moaned as he struggled to a sitting position.

"It'll pass. Just drink this," she reassured. She pressed the first phial to his lips.

"Ugh. That's horrible," he spat as he forced himself to drink it.

"I know. The next one is better. I promise." She held up the phial and once he had downed it, conjured a glass of water.

“That really isn’t any better,” he said and then took the glass of water he had been offered. “I hope… I didn’t…. embarrass myself last night,” he said contritely as the potions took effect.

She smiled warmly at him and patted his knee. “You were a perfect gentleman. You just had a bit too much wine.”

“Probably more than a bit,” he joked. “Thank you for bringing the potions by.”

“I thought you would need them to get through the day. And I wanted to check on you. I hope you aren’t upset.”

“Not in the least. Thank you for your concern.” He reached up and put his hand on her cheek.

She blushed and pulled away from him. “It was nothing.”

“Hermione, something like this is not nothing. While some parts of last night are a bit fuzzy, I do recall having a great time at dinner with you. Something I’d like to repeat, but perhaps with a little less wine?” he suggested.

She smiled at him. "Most definitely. Now, I think you should have just enough time to clean up and get down to breakfast.”

He held onto her arm, preventing her from getting up. "Thank you," he said softly as he leaned in for a kiss, which Hermione eagerly returned.

Reluctantly, she pulled away from him. "I'll see you at breakfast." While she had hoped dinner would have led to something intimate last night, she didn't want to feel rushed for their first time.

* * *

As Remus stood under the shower, he tried to remember what had happened the night before. He remembered the early evening and how she had given him a first edition book, something he felt was far too extravagant. But then again, it showed that she not only understood him, but cared about him. He had to admit that from what he could remember, it had been a wonderful evening. He only wished he hadn’t indulged so much in the wine, but at least he hadn’t done anything to embarrass himself. He would have to take care on subsequent dates to not drink so much.

When he arrived at breakfast, he found Hermione in her usual seat, waiting for him. He had to admit that he felt much better. As he took his seat, he said, “Thank you again for the potions. I’m not sure that I would have made it through the day, otherwise. I feel like myself again.”

She smiled warmly at him. “That’s good.” After a short pause, she said, “If there is anywhere you want to go over Easter Holidays, I’d be happy to make the plans.”

He had a fuzzy recollection of her mentioning something about the holidays, and he had clearly agreed to spend part of it with her after the full moon. “Of course. I’ll have to think about it a bit.”

“You aren’t having second thoughts are you?” she asked cautiously.

He patted her leg under the table. “Of course not. I think it will be wonderful spending time together away from Hogwarts.” In actuality he was having second thoughts, but he knew that he needed to keep their relationship moving forward, and this was part of it.

When Remus arrived home that afternoon he found Andromeda and Teddy playing together with his blocks. He was trying to build a replica of Hogwarts.

“How was dinner last night?” Andromeda asked.

“It was wonderful, though I overindulged a bit.” He was still embarrassed by that. He shouldn't have insisted they finish the wine.

“I think everyone has done that at some point,” Andromeda replied knowingly.

“I’m sure, but it doesn’t make it any less embarrassing, especially at my age. At least I appear to have been able to make it back to my quarters.” He watched Teddy finish Gryffindor Tower. “I was wondering if you mind watching Teddy on your own over Easter Holidays.” He watched Andromeda arch an eyebrow. “Hermione invited me to do some traveling.”

She smiled broadly. “I think that’s wonderful. Of course I’ll watch him. So where are the two of you going?”

“That’s a good question. I think she mentioned Cornwall and somewhere else, but honestly the details of the evening a bit fuzzy. And she has asked me for some input, so I’ll have to think a bit since we only have about ten days due to the full moon.”

“I’m sure you’ll make the most of it.”

“You’re sure you don’t mind?” He knew that she had her own life and already thought he imposed too much, even with all the accommodations that Minerva gave him.

“Remus, you need this. Just go or I’ll lock you out of the house,” Andromeda said, sounding way too serious.

“Andromeda,” he protested.

“I mean it. Go and have fun. You deserve it. After all, I went away over Christmas, so it’s your turn.”

“I can’t thank you enough for everything you have done.” He wasn't sure he would have been able to make it without her assistance.

“He’s family and so are you. I’m just glad to see you finally taking my advice. And hopefully this will lead to something more,” she intimated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope the second task makes up for a pretty lackluster first task. Other than the ice pixies, all of the creatures faced are actual mythological creatures. No promises on the third task, but face it, in Harry's year two of the three tasks were pretty boring for the crowd. I mean, staring at a lake for an hour?


	8. Chapter 8

Hermione arrived at Minerva’s office for their weekly tea. Even though she had become an Animagus, she still enjoyed her mornings with Minerva. It provided her mentorship that she needed and a way to get advice about her lessons if she was having a particular difficult time getting students to understand a lesson. Even though she and Remus would discuss the students, it was good to have someone who had so much experience teaching to guide her through some of the difficulties, especially when the students were having personality conflicts.

“So how did dinner with Remus go?” Minerva asked.

“It was a great dinner. Indira’s has wonderful food, though it probably is a tad bit romantic for a casual dinner.”

“Well, that isn’t what you were having, was it?” Minerva asked knowingly.

Hermione laughed softly. “No, it wasn’t. We had a really lovely time, but I probably made a mistake by ordering two bottles of wine. Even though it wasn’t a fast dinner, it was a bit too much.”

“He seemed alright this morning,” Minerva observed.

“I took him a potion to help with the hangover. I knew he would be feeling pretty rough. I guess it was a little disappointing as I had expected a bit more of a romantic ending than me tucking him to bed as he became nearly incoherent. But I did get him to agree to going away for Easter Break, so there is that.”

“That’s a very big step.”

“I know. I was actually a bit surprised that he agreed. Even though we’ve been spending a lot of time together, well, this will be different.” She paused and took a sip of her tea. “You don’t think it’s too soon, do you?”

“Hermione, that’s not a question that I can answer for you. The facts that you invited him and that he accepted, indicate that it isn’t too soon. Neither one of you are teenagers, and it's not like you were complete strangers at the beginning of the school year.”

“I know. I’m just not very good at relationships. At least I figured it out with Ron before we did anything stupid. And the others… Well, that was just a series of bad decisions. I should have figured out sooner that they were just dating me so they could brag to their friends.”

“I think you and Remus are a good fit. I’ll admit I never considered it when I invited him to resume teaching. I was merely hoping that getting him out and having a real job would lead to him learning to live his life again.”

“I’ll admit it was the farthest thing from my mind. It’s odd that after just a few weeks I started thinking that perhaps we could be more than just friends.” Hermione wasn't willing to admit to anyone that thought began creeping in the weekend before term started.

Minerva looked at her sadly. “Sometimes you just know that you are a good match for someone. And I think that’s what happened with you.”

“Did you ever have it happen?” Hermione asked curiously.

Minerva paused a moment before answering. “Once. Unfortunately he was Muggle and having grown up with a Muggle father, I knew it would be too hard, that I would have to give up too much,” she said sadly. “But you won’t have that problem,” Minerva said, trying to sound more upbeat.

“Hopefully this trip away will work out. I still think it might have been a bit bold, but it’s too late now.”

“While it may not seem like it, a weekend away or a little more, there is very little difference. And I dare say the two of you have spent enough time together that it shouldn’t be an issue. Besides, there are still a few weeks until the Easter Holidays. Time enough for you to change your mind or to spend more time together. As I recall, Remus has weekend duty coming up.”

Hermione blushed at Minerva’s veiled suggestion. “I was thinking perhaps someplace a bit more romantic than here.”

“That’s perfectly understandable.” Minerva took a drink of her tea. “Now, how are your classes going?”

Hermione laughed softly. Glad for a change of subject. They spent the next twenty minutes talking about Hermione’s classes and some of the students she was having difficulty with.

* * *

April 5, 2004

Remus paced nervously. It was completely irrational to be nervous, but he and Hermione had yet to spend a night together and now they were talking about spending more than a week together. It wasn't that he hadn't considered it, it was just that they had made it happen.

Andromeda walked into the lounge to see him pacing. "Why on earth are you so nervous?"

"I'm not nervous," he lied.

"Remus," she prodded, "one does not pace like this if they aren't nervous. So again, why are you so nervous?"

"Because we are going away for more than a week. I think we should have started with a weekend away. What if it's a disaster?" he asked pessimistically.

"Do you honestly see it turning into a disaster? From everything you have said, the two of you get along wonderfully."

"It's one thing get along in a friendly manner, enjoying dinner. But essentially living together. What if I have a habit that drives her crazy? What if I misread any signals from her?"

Andromeda placed a reassuring hand on his arm. "I think you'll figure it out. Now, why don't you say farewell to Teddy and then you can head to the castle. The longer you delay this, the more it will eat at you."

He took a deep breath. "I know. I think part of this is the moon. I never feel quite right as it approaches full."

Remus found Teddy playing in his room, already changed into his pajamas. “You’ll be good for Grams, won’t you?” Remus asked, still feeling a bit guilty about leaving Teddy during his school break.

“I will. She’s made some fun plans,” Teddy replied.

“Oh?” Replied Remus. “Well, you’ll have to tell me all about it when I get back.”

“Only if you tell me all about your travels,” Teddy replied.

Remus smiled at his son. “Deal. And maybe we’ll find something neat that I can take you to see this summer.” Remus was only now realizing that he had truly been hiding from the reality of his survival. Of course, since he hadn’t had a proper job, he hadn’t felt right traveling with Teddy. But now, he was definitely self-sufficient and felt that he could splurge on taking Teddy places, that he could begin living a normal life. “I’ll see you after the Easter holidays.” He leaned forward and gave Teddy a big hug.

“I’ll miss you,” Teddy replied.

“I’ll miss you, too. I’ll make sure I send you a couple of postcards, okay?” Remus offered.

“Pretty ones,” Teddy amended.

“Pretty ones. See you soon,” Remus said as he gave Teddy another hug and departed. When he returned to the lounge, Andromeda was gone. He knew it was time for him to go so he would have time to take his potion and get into his safe room before the moon rose.

Once he arrived in his quarters, he dropped his bag and headed down to the dungeon. While it had become familiar, it was something he never looked forward to.

Nahima was ready for him. “We’ll see if you feel any better after transformation tonight. I only wish I could do more, but nothing seems to be a major improvement. My best hope lies with the kivuli and we still have a couple of months to go before I can begin experimenting with that.”

“It’s much better than it was. And one thing I have learned with my condition is patience.”

* * *

Remus’ transformation was much as they had been for most of the school year. The pain was now significantly less than it was with the original version, but overall it was little changed. The main improvement had been the incorporation of a version of the Invigorating Draught which now meant that he could live a nearly normal life. There was no more spending more than a day recovering from the taxing transformation.

Once he was dressed, he headed up to his quarters to take a shower and get properly prepared for the day away. Hermione had agreed to meet him at nine o’clock for breakfast and then they would head off to their first destination.

After he was dressed, he stood before the mirror combing his hair. He paused as he really looked at his reflection. The lines on his face were definitely becoming more pronounced. Not to mention the collection of scars he had earned over the years. As he looked at his now predominantly grey hair, he began to wonder what he could offer Hermione. It seemed almost selfish for him to continue a relationship with her. Despite what she had told him, he definitely felt she deserved someone better.

He heard the knock at his door and quickly finished combing his hair before answering it, trying to push his self-doubt away.

Hermione had a big smile on her face when he opened the door. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close for a kiss. “Are you ready?”

He found her smile infectious. “As soon as we eat, I will be." At least he hoped he would be. A part of him wanted to tell her to go travel without him. "I still can’t believe we’re doing this.” He led her in where a tray of fruit and pastries was waiting for them.

“This is what two people who enjoy each other’s company as a couple do,” she responded as she took a seat and chose a few things off the platter.

He tried to remain positive. “I suppose that they do. So where are we going first?”

“I’ve heard about this place in Northumberland that sounds really fascinating. I figure we’ll spend a couple of days there and see if we find anything else interesting to do before finishing up in Cornwall near Tintagel.”

“You mean you don’t have the whole trip planned out to the minute?” He teased gently.

Hermione blushed and tried to hide behind her teacup. “I’m trying to be more spontaneous, to live in the moment. I was actually able to do that when I was traveling before I took the job here. Of course it didn’t start out that way, but I finally learned to let go.”

“I’m proud of you for that. I know it’s a big step.” She had most definitely matured from the time when she had been a student at Hogwarts.

“Besides, I still have all my lessons planned out.”

He laughed softly at her joke. “I guess you need to start somewhere.” He dabbed the corners of his mouth as he finished up his breakfast. Noticing that Hermione wasn’t quite done, he poured himself another cup of tea so as to not rush her.

When she was ready, the two of them grabbed their bags to head out of the castle. They had arranged for a carriage to take them to the main gates. While he normally enjoyed the walk, he appreciated this comfort this morning.

* * *

Arriving in Northumberland, Remus had to admire the landscape. While he found cities interesting, he had always preferred open spaces, mostly because that meant there weren’t as many people around, people who might figure out what he was.

“What do you think?” Hermione asked as she turned him around to look behind him.

He saw a well-kept ancient keep before him. “This is where we are staying?” He asked, unable to keep the surprise out of his voice.

“It’ll be grand, won’t it?” She said proudly.

“Definitely not something I have ever done before.”

They ended up leaving their bags at the desk as their room was not ready that hour of the morning. After exploring the public areas of the keep, which included a dining hall and a library, they decided to explore outside since it was a lovely day. It was still a little cool, but not uncomfortably so.

“What did you have planned while we are here?” Remus asked knowingly.

“Well, this is a very historic area and there are several magical ruins in the area, not to mention a few Muggle ones, if you don’t mind.”

He shook his head. He had actually taken refuge in the Muggle world several times during his life, finding it easier to find short term employment than in the Wizarding world, which was much smaller. “I don’t mind.”

“I figure that at a leisurely pace, that will keep us occupied for the time we’re here. And maybe in talking to some of the folks working here, we can find something interesting to fill the time until we are due in Cornwall.”

“I think that’s a marvelous idea.” One thing he loved about Hermione was that she had a love of knowledge even greater than his own. This meant that he wouldn’t have to worry about her turning a vacation into a shopping trip, unless of course it was a bookstore.

Hermione led them down a path until they came to the local historical center, which was situated near the ruins of a Muggle castle. Unfortunately there wasn’t much to tell about the castle from the outside as the tallest surviving part of the walls would not have reached the second story, but the interpretive history based on archaeology and oral history was rather complete. By the time they were finished there, it was time for lunch, which they enjoyed at a local fish and chips shop.

Afterwards, Hermione led him outside of the village to a secluded area and Side-Along Apparated him to their next destination. They spend close to four hours exploring a castle that had belonged to the Morgan family, a once prominent Wizarding family that had died out approximately 200 years ago. While they were learning about the history of the family, Remus had a pang of sadness for what had happened to Sirius and his family. After all the House of Black had been noble, it was now nearly gone. Teddy had a claim to it, but after Andromeda had been erased from the tapestry, that claim wasn’t worth much. He supposed that Draco Malfoy was all that was officially left of that once proud house as so many of the more distant cousins had been disowned.

“Remus, are you okay?” Hermione asked quietly.

He forced a smile. “I’ll be fine.” He patted her hand reassuringly, not wanting to talk about it during the tour.

Once they were done, they walked away from the castle and down the lane rather than just Apparating back to the keep.

After a few seconds of silence, Hermione asked, “Did you want to talk about it?”

He thought for a few seconds as he had been contemplating that very thing. “I was just thinking of Sirius and how the Black family has gone the way of the Morgan family. How so many of the old Wizarding families seem to be fading, not that that’s an entirely bad thing given everything that’s happened over the last thirty years or so.”

She looped her arm in his. “The world constantly changes. I think you are right that it’s not entirely bad that families like the Malfoys, Lestranges, Crabbes and Goyles are fading. Maybe what comes next will be a less prejudiced society.”

“I wouldn’t count too much on that. Even though many of the old families are fading, there are plenty of other families who are very much entrenched in the Wizarding world of the past. Besides, so much of the change the Muggle world is undergoing just can’t exist in the magical world. And would we really want it existing?”

Hermione thought for several long moments. “Some of it could be useful. I know many in the Wizarding world prefer owls or the Floo for communication, but there is something I like about the instantaneous nature of the telephone. I’ve never been fond of disembodied heads talking to me from my fireplace. Other than that, well, there’s a part of me that loves the internet and the ability to look up just about anything and find the answer without digging through dozens of books.”

“But where does that information come from?” While he wasn’t extremely well versed in the internet, he was aware that not all of it was factual.

“True, some of it is inaccurate or flat out wrong, but how many books have you come across that fall into that same category? A fair few, I’d wager,” she countered.

“I won’t disagree with that, but reputable libraries and researchers will either remove those books from circulation or include a disclaimer that points out they aren’t factual. It’s my understanding that once something is on the internet, it’s nearly impossible to get rid of it as it begins to propagate. While there are good things about it, I can see it used to do great harm as more and more people come to trust the information there without thinking to verify it from another independent source and falsehoods start to become fact just through the nature of the ubiquity.”

“Well, I still think that proper academic sites can be a great boon for people, especially those who don't live near any sort of library. Isolation will no longer equate to ignorance.”

“I will hope that you are correct,” he replied curtly.

There was a short, yet awkward silence. “So… all that was bothering you on the tour was Sirius?”

“It was,” he replied sadly. “I’ll admit to feeling a bit guilty that I haven’t really thought of him in some time. I only wish we had had more time to together. That he had truly been able to live as the free and innocent man that he was. He deserved better.”

“I agree,” Hermione said simply.

“You didn’t much care for him, did you?” Remus asked, having gotten the impression from a few overhead conversations he had caught between her and Harry.

“It’s probably that I really didn’t know him. That at the time I never took into account everything that he had been through. I also felt that Harry trusted him a bit too much, that his recommendations were a bit reckless. Maybe they were, maybe I was inexperienced. I do wish that he hadn’t fallen through the veil, that he would have gotten a chance to live a real life, that we could have gotten to know him better.” There was a long awkward silence. “Why don’t we head back to the keep and see what our room is like? Then we can make a decision about what we want to do for dinner.”

Grateful for the ability to abandon their conversation, he said, “I think that’s a marvelous idea.”

When they returned, they were given their key. It was a room on the third floor. It was a well-appointed, yet simple room that consisted of two beds, a sofa and table, and a small dining table with two chairs. What Remus noticed most was the view. While the windows were not huge, they had clearly been magically expanded as it would not be historically correct for a keep to have large windows. Through the windows was a verdant hillside and small lake in the distance. 

Hermione wrapped her arms around him from behind. “Does it meet your approval?” She asked.

“Most definitely,” he replied as he turned to face her and return her embrace before giving her a passionate kiss, which she eagerly returned.

When she broke the kiss, she said, “As wonderful as that was, I think perhaps we should have dinner first.”

“Do you?” He asked as he nibbled her neck.

She tried to push him away. “It’s been a long time since lunch.”

“Will another half hour or so make much of a difference?” He was suddenly reminded of how long it had been since he had been with a woman.

“I had hoped for something a little less rushed later this evening. Perhaps after dinner when we would light the fire,” she said seductively.

“Mmmm. I like the idea of that. Perhaps we can do dinner first,” he offered.

* * *

Hermione was both nervous and excited through dinner. She had been anticipating this day for months, but now that it was here, her stomach was doing flips. It wasn't like he would be the first man that she was with, but she felt more strongly about him than she had any of the others. She tried to eat her dinner, but found herself picking at her food.

If Remus was equally nervous, he didn't show any outward evidence. "Is dinner not to your liking?" he asked as he realized she wasn't really eating her meal.

"No, it's quite good," she replied, trying not to sound brusque.

"Is something else bothering you?" he probed.

She put on the most pleasant demeanor she could. "Really it's nothing. I guess I just wasn't as hungry as I thought I was."

He smiled warmly at her. "I'm just about finished." He took one last bite and finished off the last of his wine. "Why don’t we get some air before heading upstairs?"

"That sounds like a wonderful idea," she replied. Before she could rise, he was at her side, helping her from her seat. He took hold of her hand and led her outside to the garden.

It was a wonderful country garden that provided plenty of privacy for more than one guest to enjoy it at a time. He led her down one of the paths until they came to a bench where they took a seat. He turned to face her and put his hand on her cheek. "Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked, guessing the source of her discomfort.

She nodded, "I do. It's just a very big step."

"Indeed it is." He looked longingly into her eyes. "This isn't your first…?" he left the question unfinished.

"It's not." She licked her lips unsure of how to proceed.

"If you aren't quite ready, we can wait for another night. I don't want you to feel rushed."

"I don't feel rushed." She took hold of his hand in hers, but found she had a hard time meeting his eyes. "I don't know what I feel. I don't know why I feel so nervous."

"I want you to be completely comfortable with this," he said softly.

"I am," she replied, trying to sound more confident  
\+ than she was.

"I'm not sure that you are. It's alright. As you said, it's a very big step," he said reassuringly.

She could tell that he was disappointed, but she was thankful for his understanding. She leaned against him, wrapping her arms around him. "Thank you," she whispered.

He embraced her and kissed the top of her head. "Whenever you are ready."

After a few minutes of enjoying the setting sun, she said, "It's cooling off. Why don't we head indoors?"

"Of course," he replied.

Once they were in their room, Hermione lit the fire with a flick of her wand. She found herself wishing she had a glass of wine or something. While she had always enjoyed Remus' company, for some reason it felt slightly uncomfortable.

As though reading her mind, Remus asked, "Would you like a glass of wine? I can pop downstairs and pick something up."

"That's a marvelous idea, but I can do it," she offered, well aware that Remus was not well educated on wines.

"I'm sure they can recommend something suitable. I'll be back soon," he said before leaning down to give her a brief kiss before departing.

Once he was gone, Hermione leaned back against the sofa and closed her eyes. Why was she feeling so irrational? She had been anticipating this moment since January, but now that it was here, she was almost paralyzed in fear. She knew that being intimate would forever change their relationship. That it could either lead to something wonderful or destroy the friendship she enjoyed with him. Logically she felt it would be the former as they got along so well and had enjoyed many passionate kisses.

It only took a few minutes before she heard the door open. Remus smiled fondly at her as he offered her one of the glasses of red wine. “It’s something French that I have been assured is quite smooth and drinkable.” He handed her the glass before joining her on the sofa.

“I’m sure it will be wonderful,” she replied as she observed the rich burgundy color of the wine. She held her glass up for a toast, “To us,” she said quietly.

Gently, he clinked her glass, and responded just as quietly, “To us.” After he took a sip, he shifted closer to her. “Your hair truly glistens gold in the firelight.”

She blushed and took another sip of her wine. “Thank you.”

“You should learn to accept complements better,” he said as he leaned forward to kiss her.

Hermione eagerly returned his kiss. She could definitely feel his desire through the strength of his kiss.

When they broke the kiss, he took her wine glass from her and placed them both on the table, before giving her another kiss and pulling her onto his lap.

There was no question in her mind about how aroused he was. He rubbed his hands along her back and down to her bum before shifting her position on his lap.

“Hermione,” he said huskily, desire clear in his voice. “I want you.” He began kissing her neck, trailing lower and unfastening her blouse.

“Oh, Remus,” she moaned as he took her nipple in his mouth. She could feel the wetness pooling between her legs. “I want you, too.”

He slid her off his lap before he rose to his feet and then pulled her to him, grinding his hips against her. “Do you really?”

She started unfastening his shirt. “I do.”

He led her to the nearest bed and gently laid her down. He gave her a passionate kiss and looked into her eyes. “Are you sure?”

She pulled him down for another kiss. “Positive.”

Slowly, they started removing each other’s clothes. Hermione tried not to be self-conscious once she was down to her undergarments. When she saw all the scars on Remus’ chest, she couldn’t help tracing a few of them.

He grabbed her hand to stop her. “They’re nothing.” He then released her hand and reached behind her to try to release her bra.

Realizing he was having difficulty, she said softly. “Let me.” Once she unhooked her bra, he gently removed it before taking her nipple in his mouth. She let out a moan of ecstasy.

“Merlin, witch,” Remus said breathlessly.

“Don’t stop,” she urged.

“If you keep that up, I won’t last,” he replied.

She tried not to feel guilty, realizing that for Remus, he had probably not been with anyone the last five years. Reaching down, she stroked his swollen manhood.

“Oh, Hermione,” he moaned before fumbling with her knickers.

She raised her hips, letting him pull them off. Once her knickers were gone, he slipped his fingers inside her, not that there was much need as wet as she already was.

It wasn’t long before he leaned forward to capture her mouth in a passionate kiss and centered himself over her. She moaned as he entered her. Remus moved slowly at first, but it wasn’t long before he picked up his pace. She could tell that he wasn’t going to last much longer, and she knew that she was nowhere near satisfaction. He reached satisfaction and gave her a penetrating kiss. “I’m so sorry,” he said after he broke the kiss.

She smiled weakly. She hadn’t expected it to be perfect the first time, but she had hoped for something a little more satisfying. “Don’t worry about it,” she reassured.

He rolled beside her. “I’m sure the next time will be better. It…”

She used her hand to brush the hair out of his face. “I understand. We don’t really know each other that way and it’s been a while for both of us.”

“That’s still no excuse. I’m so sorry.”

“Remus, don’t worry about it. This won’t ruin the holiday,” she reassured.

“I’ll make it up to you,” he said groggily.

She could tell that there wouldn’t be anything else for the immediate future. She was frustrated, but this was all part of them building a relationship. She did what she could to try to get comfortable and get some sleep. Maybe she could wake him up in the morning to try to get some satisfaction.

* * *

Hermione could feel someone stirring next to her. It took her a few moments to recall that she and Remus were sleeping together. She rolled over and draped her leg over his. She then let her hand drift between his legs and hoped to stimulate him awake.

He moaned under her ministrations.

“Good morning,” she said as she let her hand drift up his chest.

“Don’t stop,” he said as he fondled her breast.

“How about I get a little attention first?” She asked gently.

Remus seemed to realize what had happened the previous night. “I’m so sorry…”

She interrupted, “Let's not talk about last night. I understand.” She reached down and took his hand and gently placed it between her legs, hoping he would get the hint that she needed more attention.

He took the hint and used two of his fingers to stimulate her. She raised her hips, trying to encourage him on where and how to touch her. “Yes, right there!” She said as he hit the right spot. After a few moments, she moaned, “Oh, Remus.” This was definitely going better than the previous night. She let her hands caress his back, reveling in his touch. “Take me,” she finally said huskily.

Remus rolled over and obliged her. This time, she was definitely much closer to being satisfied than last time. He started slowly, but it wasn’t long before he was moving more quickly. This time she wrapped her legs behind him, pulling him tight against her, feeling her release nearing. They moved together in a frenzy as they reached satisfaction. “Much better,” she purred.

“I’m glad. I truly am sorry about last night,” he said as he brushed her hair out of her face.

“That sort of thing happens. I don’t hold it against you.”

“I’m glad to hear that. I will warn you that unlike my younger days, I do require a significant amount of time to recover. I know that there might be some expectation…”

She cut him off as she was not entirely ignorant of how the male libido functioned. “I understand. As long as we work together, it won’t be a problem.”

“I’ll try not to let something like that happen again. Now, how about a shower and some breakfast before we do some more exploring. If I don’t get moving, I’m afraid I’ll fall back asleep.”

“Sounds like a fantastic plan,” she replied.

* * *

They enjoyed the rest of their time in Northumberland, exploring both Muggle and Magical sites and getting to know each other outside of school. They also spent time getting to know each other intimately, instructing each other on how to please themselves.

After three days in Northumberland, they moved on to the Edinburgh area. While she had visited as a girl with her parents, she hadn’t realized all the magical history and sites that were in the city and just outside it. Even though she had spent so much time travailing magical Europe, she was just now realizing how little she knew about actual magical Britain. That would be something for her to explore over the summer, hopefully not by herself. She longed to ask Remus to join her in her travels, but she knew that he would need time to accept this new level of their relationship before moving to the next.

* * *

April 17, 2004

It was the last night Remus and Hermione were spending together for the Easter Holidays. She had been right about the marvelous place in Cornwall that she had found. He found he did not want to get out of bed, but he knew the time was quickly coming when they would have to return to Hogwarts. It felt good to have her in his arms. He nuzzled against her, enjoying the scent of her shampoo.

“What are you thinking about?” Hermione asked lazily.

“How wonderful this feels.”

She rolled over onto her side and draped her arm and leg over him. “It does, doesn’t it? I’m glad you agreed to this.”

“So am I.” He had begun to wonder why he had waited so long to see someone, but then he reasoned that if he hadn’t waited, he might not have had the chance to choose Hermione. He couldn’t imagine finding anyone else who understood him like she did. He marveled at how lucky he was to have found two witches who were willing to accept him for what he was.

“I suppose we should get ready to go,” she said sadly.

He leaned over and kissed her neck. “We still have time.”

She giggled as he nuzzled into her neck. “Do we have that much time?” she asked playfully.

“We can make work,” he replied as he pulled her onto his chest.

They just barely honored the checkout time, but Remus found he didn’t care. There was a carriage waiting for them when they arrived at the Hogwarts gates, something Remus was glad of as they would not have to deal with their bags for the trip up to the castle. As they settled in for the ride, he said, “Since I have a few things to prepare for my upcoming lessons, I was planning on spending the night at the castle. If you’d like to come by…” he left the rest of the sentence unsaid.

She gave him a sly smile. “Why, Professor Lupin, are you inviting me to your quarters?” She asked playfully.

“Indeed I am, Professor Granger. That is unless you have something better you’d like to do with your evening.”

“I can think of nothing better to do with my evening. I should be ready for classes by eight o’clock, if that works for you.”

“I’ll make it work,” he said, as he pulled her over to his side of the carriage and gave her a deep kiss.

She pulled slightly away from him. “I think we are getting close enough to the castle that we should behave.”

“We should, shouldn’t we?” While he knew that Minerva had no objections to the two of them having a relationship, he knew that they should not flaunt it to the students, though he was sure there were those who suspected the two of them were attracted to each other.

* * *

Hermione heard an unfamiliar alarm. She woke up and looked around. It took her a few seconds to realize that she was in Remus’ quarters. She hadn’t intended to spend the night, but she had been so exhausted that she hadn’t felt like leaving. That and she had gotten used to waking up with Remus beside her. She leaned over to kiss him awake. When he started to stir, she asked, “Do you always sleep through your alarm?”

Suddenly it started chiming louder and Remus waved his hand at the clock. “Generally the first part. I’m glad you stayed,” he said as he returned the kisses.

“We should get ready for breakfast,” she replied half-heartedly.

“As long as we make morning classes, no one will care,” he replied.

She knew he had a point. There were many times professors missed meals for various things and Minerva never made a big deal about it unless it was a major event such as the sorting ceremony or leaving meal. “I suppose you are right,” she replied as she began caressing his body.

Hermione barely made it to her first class. Remus has been quite loath to let her go. She was glad she had made all her preparations the night before, but mentally, she was not really prepared for her first class. Thankfully it was not first years and most of the class was spent practicing the spell rather than with her having to give instruction. She wasn’t sure she would have been up lecturing for a whole class period. She wasn’t sure if it was a shame or a good thing that Remus spent most nights away from the castle. She knew that she could most definitely get used to spending them with him. She reasoned that it would make the nights they were able to spend together that much more special.


	9. Chapter 9

May 4, 2004

Remus found himself once again waiting for the full moon, though this time with a fair bit of trepidation. Nahima had been making changes to the potion, and while the transformation was now more tolerable and he was no longer missing class to recover, he was still transforming. That might change after tonight. It was the night of the lunar eclipse and Pomona would be harvesting the kivuli when they bloomed. Which meant that next month he would be taking a completely reformulated potion. He was both excited and terrified by this prospect.

“Are you ready?” Nahima asked.

“Not really. It was fairly disturbing to discover what happened during the eclipse last time.” He suppressed a shudder.

She gave him a reassuring smile. “Well, I don’t see much reason to wake you tonight, though if I see something unusual I will. I plan on spending most of the eclipse helping Pomona harvest the kivuli.”

“And then the real experimentation begins,” he said, a sense of dread in his voice.

“It does, but only if you wish it,” Nahima said reassuringly.

He had been thinking long and hard about this. Right now his condition was far more manageable than it had ever been. He would be quite pleased with just stopping now, but Nahima had been so optimistic about the kivuli and he found it contagious. “I do wish it.”

“We’ll do small steps, though we will have to make arrangements to deliver the potion over the summer break.”

“You wouldn’t have to do that. I can just get it from the Ministry.” He didn’t want to inconvenience her over the break.

“It’s nothing. I have enjoyed this project and I have several ideas. Not having class will give me more opportunity to research this problem. I have been hoping to spend some time at the Great Wizarding Library to see what they have. It’s possible there is information in their research section that will help. If only Damocles’ research notes had survived. I feel that it is likely I am exploring changes that he tried.”

“You have also tried many he did not. You have definitely made improvements. It’s amazing to feel like myself after the transformation. And I’m sure everyone here appreciates the fact they no long have to cover any of my classes.”

“Thank you for your praise. I will see you in the morning,” she said before she let herself out of the room and secured the door.

* * *

The next thing Remus knew, he heard the door unlocking. He realized he was human again and quickly reached for his clothes. Normally transforming back to human woke him up, but it hadn’t happened this time. “Just a moment,” he called out, even though he knew that Nahima could see him through the window.

When he was dressed, he exited his chamber and found the outer chamber was empty. He walked down the hallway to Nahima’s office and found her sitting at her desk. “I slept through it all, didn’t I?”

She put down her quill. “Indeed you did. I hated to wake you, but I know that you have class and would prefer to be there. I look forward to seeing what the results of using the kivuli will be.”

“The harvest was successful?” he asked cautiously.

“It was. It was a very good harvest. We have 50 flowers. Half I have placed a stasis spell upon and the other half are being dried. I have no idea which will be more potent. But this will give me ample opportunities to try to find a potion that will be more helpful. I hope this will be the key to finding a way to prevent the transformation as we prevent the werehyena from transforming.”

“I hope that you are right, but at this point, I am quite happy with the results you have achieved.” He still couldn’t believe he was able to live a nearly normal life.

“Are you sure you want to go through with experimenting?" she asked cautiously. "There is a significant chance that this idea will yield nothing or that it could make things worse. The kivuli is used in very few folk remedies due to its scarcity so it is studied very little. Since it is tied to the moon, it was never considered when remedies for werehyena were developed centuries ago.

“If there is even a remote chance it can stop the transformation, let's do this. I’ll be ready for whatever you derive.” He tried to sound enthusiastic. He knew that even with the improvements that transforming had to be taking a toll on his body. He hoped that if they were stopped that it might give him fifty years with Hermione. There were days around her when he felt like he was in his thirties again and then there were other days where he was reminded of the passage of time and felt much more like someone approaching sixty.

* * *

May 10, 2004

Hermione was in an uncharacteristically good mood. When she had arrived at her office this morning, she had found a small vase of flowers on her desk. There was no note, but there was only one person who would leave flowers for her. It would be the same wizard who was taking advantage of his knowledge of the castle to pull her into dark corners for stolen kisses. On more than one occasion she had found herself nearly late for class. She couldn't believe she was acting just as hormonal as her students.

As the last of her students were gathering up their books, she looked up and saw Remus standing just inside her classroom. "How can I help you Professor Lupin?" she asked professionally, but at the same time she could feel her heart pounding in her chest.

"I was wondering if you could offer me some advice on the Grindylow I have arriving this afternoon," he said as he approached her desk.

"I'd be happy to," she replied, watching the retreating backs of her last two students.

Once they were out of the room, Remus flicked his wand, closing and locking her door. He then stepped closer to her.

"You aren't really here about the Grindylow are you?" she asked as she gazed longingly into his eyes.

He wrapped his arms around her and gave her a passionate kiss. "Not at all. I was wondering if you wanted to get away this weekend?"

"Did you have anywhere in mind?" This is something she would look forward to. He had been spending one night a week in the castle, but they had not gone away since returning from Easter break.

"We could go back to Cornwall. That was quite romantic." He nibbled at her neck.

"It was, wasn't it?" She tried to push him away as he got more amorous. "Remus," she protested, unable to control her giggles.

"I thought you loved me?" he asked playfully as he nibbled at her neck.

She gently pushed his head back so she could look into his eyes. "I do love you, but we're in my classroom."

"And I've locked the door." He pushed her back to her desk and sat her up on it. He then slipped his hand under her robes to run it  
\+ on her thigh.

"Here?" she asked, clearly losing her resolve.

"It's stimulating, isn't it?" he asked as he resumed nibbling at her neck.

She found she couldn't keep her hands off him. She reached her hands into his robes, finding him quite aroused. He gently lowered her to the desk and then straddled her. Playfully she asked, "Are you sure the wolf only comes out before the moon?"

"I think you have ignited a flame in me." With a flick of his wand, the top of her desk become a mattress, and she could hear the clatter of his wand hitting the floor. He shoved her robes up so that he could have access to her.

Hermione fumbled with the front of his robes, eager to feel him inside her. The idea of being together in her classroom was definitely stimulating. "Oh, Remus," she moaned when she felt him enter her.

Feeling her urgency, and knowing that there was a danger someone would come by the classroom, he wasted no time.

"Oh, yes, right there! Harder!" she called out as she pulled him as tightly to her as she could. "Yes!" she shouted as she felt orgasm wash over her.

He nearly collapsed on her as he captured her mouth for a brief passionate kiss as both of them were breathing hard.

Suddenly they heard the doorknob rattle followed by a firm knock. Each of them quickly cast a cleansing charm, returned the desk to its usual state, and frantically got their robes back together. Hermione walked towards the door and unlocked it. "Yes?" she asked as she opened the door.

Minerva arched an eyebrow as she saw Remus casually leaning against Hermione's desk. "Is everything alright? I heard a loud noise."

"It's fine," Hermione said, knowing that their demeanor would give away what had just happened.

Minerva entered the classroom and closed the door. "I don't consider myself a controlling person, and I have allowed the two of you a great deal of leeway." She paused considering her words. "I will ask that the two of you be more discreet, though I do appreciate you locking the door."

Hermione blushed. She knew that it had been her cries that had attracted Minerva's attention. Neither of them had considered casting a Silencing Charm. "Of course," she replied.

Minerva gave both of them appraising gazes before turning to leave, shaking her head as she did so.

Remus moved closer to Hermione and wrapped his arms around her. "That was perhaps a bit bold."

"Very," she replied as she turned around to give him a kiss. "Though I would do it again in a heartbeat."

"Would you?" he asked playfully.

"Definitely. That was amazing." She gave him one last kiss before pulling away. "So, this weekend?"

"The whole weekend. We can leave Friday after your last class."

"I like that idea. I can hardly wait. Now you should probably leave before we get in actual trouble."

"Of course. I'll see you later, Professor Granger," he said as he gave her a small bow.

After he left, she found that she couldn't believe what they had just done. Minerva had been right to call them out on their behavior, but she wasn't sure they wouldn't do it again, perhaps using a few more precautions. The fact that they might get caught had played a large part in making it so amazing.

* * *

Hermione's bag was packed and waiting next to the door in her quarters. She had packed it last night. Even though it should have only taken a few minutes, it had taken her the better part of the evening. She kept changing her mind on what she wanted to wear. She would be sure that she had figured it out and would start work on something else when she would suddenly find herself changing her mind. After her fourth time repacking, she had resolved to just leave the bag alone and go with what she had. There was nothing wrong with the clothes she had chosen.

As she taught her classes, she did her best to stay focused. They had gone away over Easter holiday, but taking a weekend away together, was a new step, one she was looking forward to. This would mark the first time he had given up time with Teddy to spend with her by his choice.

When the end of the day came, she quickly cleaned up her classroom before hurrying up to her quarters. It was irrational to hurry so much, that surely Remus had his own preparations to clean up his classroom and to potentially pack. Though she reasoned that since most of his possessions were at Andromeda's house that he likely had packed before coming to Hogwarts.

She was sitting in her quarters, attempting to read a book, when she heard a knock on the door. She quickly rose to open the door.

When the door opened, Remus caught sight of her suitcase. "I was going to ask if you were ready, but I see that you are," he said jovially.

"What can I say? I'm the type of person who packs ahead of time," she said nonchalantly.

"And probably then repacks several times," he teased gently.

Hermione flushed at the truth of his words. "Well… I like to be thorough."

"Come on. I've arranged for one of the carriages so that we don't have to walk down to the gates."

"That was thoughtful of you," Hermione replied. By now they had mostly given up any pretense of being able to hide their relationship from the students, though they were not overt about it. Before she could grab her bag, he reached down and picked it up. "Thank you," she said simply, not willing to get into an argument about whether or not she would carry her own bag.

The carriage was waiting for them when they got to the bottom of the stairs. Remus helped her up into the carriage before joining her. She found his manners endearing and a far cry from what she had experienced when dating men close to her own age. "Thank you, again."

"It's my pleasure," he said as he leaned over to steal a kiss.

She giggled as he started nibbling at her neck after breaking the kiss. "Remus, stop. Wait until we get to the inn."

"I suppose I can do that." He sat back in his seat and pulled her against his side.

Hermione leaned against him. "What prompted this weekend away?" she asked cautiously.

"During the Easter break I realized I enjoy spending time with you away from here. Tea every week is wonderful, as is the odd dinner we share, but it still doesn't compare to having you all to myself for more than a few hours. I wouldn't mind doing it again before the school year is over."

"I think that would be a wonderful idea and I couldn't agree more."

It didn't take long for them to reach the front gate and Remus helped her from the carriage. She gently took her bag from him, not wanting him to Apparate with both bags. "I'll see you there," she said and then turned in place as reality shifted, and she found herself outside the little inn in Cornwall. She took a deep breath and admired the beautiful, pastoral view. This particular inn was located not far from Tintagel castle and had a beautiful view of the sea. Even before she had discovered she was a witch, she had always enjoyed trips to this area.

She only had a moment to enjoy the view before she heard Remus Apparate beside her and reach for her hand. "Ready?" he asked.

"Most definitely. It feels good to be back." Even though they had been to Wales and Northumberland, neither location had compared to this one.

"Good afternoon! So nice to see you back," said the innkeeper cheerfully.

"Well, we had such a lovely time, we couldn't resist coming back," Remus replied jovially.

"I'm so glad to hear that. If you'd like, we have the same room available or you could try a different one."

Remus looked to Hermione who nodded her head. "We'll take the same room, if you don't mind."

"Of course." The innkeeper made a note in the ledger before turning it for Remus to sign and then handed them the key.

Once they had dropped their bags in the room, Hermione asked, "Since it's such a nice day, did you want to go for a walk?"

"I think that's a wonderful idea." He took hold of her hand and let her lead him out of the cottage.

They followed a meandering path that went between the fields that surrounded the village of Tintagel. Eventually the path brought them to the coast where they could enjoy the view of the sea. It was a beautiful day with relatively calm seas. They found the sounds of the waves crashing on the rocks below quite relaxing.

Hermione stopped where there were some rocks where they could sit and just watch. "It's so wonderfully relaxing, isn't it?"

He wrapped his arm around her. "Indeed it is." There was a moment of silence while they enjoyed the view. "I can't thank you enough for fighting for me. I think most people would have given up."

She leaned into him. "The kiss at the Yule Ball was my final effort. If that hadn't melted your resolve, I would have given you up as hopeless."

"Well, I'm glad you didn't. This year has been a good one. Between resuming teaching and having you in my life, well, it's been quite amazing."

"It's been good for me, too. I was wandering aimlessly, trying to settle down into teaching and unsure what the future held, but then, I realized the future held you."

"I find that hard to believe," he replied.

"No, really. I told you I tried working for the Ministry, but it's just so much bureaucracy, and I realized how hard it would be to get heard to make a difference. After helping out with the lycanthropes, I decided I needed to take a break, to figure me out. All through Hogwarts, it was about being the best in the classes, getting to be Head Girl. Then it was all about helping Harry destroy the Horcruxes. Then about helping the lycanthropes. But I realized that none of it was about me. It was all about crusading for others. After that was over, I realized I really had no idea what I wanted to do in life. I had never really thought about it. Even now, I'm still not entirely sure this is what I want to do, though I will say this year has been much better than last year. Probably because I'm not being as closely supervised."

"Some days definitely are better than others, aren't they?" he replied sagely. "I know there were trying days and downright difficult days my first time teaching. But I find that moment when you see a student who has been struggling come to a moment of complete understanding is hard to top."

"Like Neville and the boggart," Hermione replied, remembering the amount of confidence Neville had gained in that one moment.

"Exactly. Moments like that make everything else worth it. I know that finding a career can be difficult. I've tried a lot of different jobs, but none of them ever resonated with me like teaching. And perhaps it won't resonate with you like that or perhaps you are just trying too hard to truly figure out where you belong. I can't really give you any career advice, but you really do seem to be having a positive effect on your students. Maybe you just need to let go and enjoy what you are doing."

"I think you may be right. Last year I was so caught up in trying to figure out what I was doing, trying to be perfect, and it's a bit of the same this year. Maybe I should spend more time enjoying the successes of my students and concentrating less on being perfect."

"Perfection is nearly impossible to attain. Yes, it can be attained briefly, but not indefinitely," he said sagely.

"Thank you," she simply.

"For what," Remus asked in confusion.

"For understanding me, for helping me understand myself." She snuggled against him, enjoying his protective embrace.

"I could say the same thing," he replied. After a few moments, he said, "Are you ready to head back?"

"Why don't we stroll back through town and find someplace to get something to eat?" she offered.

"That's a marvelous idea." He rose to his feet and offered her his hand. Together they walked hand in hand, enjoying each other's company.

May 22, 2004

Remus was enjoying the evening by the fire. Hermione was leaned against him, and Teddy had curled up on the rug by the fire. The Quidditch match of Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw had gone long and Gryffindor had barely scored a victory, but with that victory had secured the Quidditch Cup. Once again, Hermione had been more than happy to instruct Teddy about Quidditch. She had even instructed him on some of the strategy players were using, which led him to believe that she had been studying Quidditch in her spare time.

After the match, they had gone to the Three Broomsticks to celebrate. Since it was so late they had chosen to eat dinner there. Teddy had been more than happy to continually recap the match and Hermione had been incredibly patient with him. Not long after they returned, Teddy had fallen asleep on the carpet by the fire, having failed to keep his eyes open while trying to read his _Further Adventures of Merlin_ comic book.

"Thank you for putting up with him," Remus said softly.

"It really isn't a bother," Hermione replied. "I used to be the same way when I was his age."

"Why don't we retire the bedroom?" Remus asked. Hermione arched an eyebrow at this statement. "Unless of course you would prefer to return to your quarters," he offered.

"I'd rather stay here, but I just wasn't sure," she said as she rose to her feet.

Remus also stood, pulled out his wand and with a swish and flick, transfigured the sofa into a low bed. He then put his wand down and carefully picked up Teddy and gently tucked him into bed. Remus then extinguished the fire before joining Hermione in his bedroom. "Thank you for staying," he said as he wrapped his arms around here and pulled her close for a passionate kiss.

"Always," she said breathlessly when they broke the kiss. She then pushed him to the bed, letting him know that she was definitely interested.

* * *

June 3, 2004

Remus was nervously pacing his quarters. Nahima had sat next to him at lunch and outlined what she had done to his potion. While she was excited about it and had told him of some of the tests she had run on the Kivuli flowers, it made very little sense to him. She told him she hoped that kivuli could activate the ingredients she had added from the werehyena potion as its properties had changed upon adding the kivuli. Now he just wondered what would happen. She had refused to speculate, but he was sure she had come to the same conclusion he had. This could go anywhere from making no difference whatsoever all the way to completely halting the transformation. He dared not to dream it was the latter, but a part of him was scared that he would get stuck in between wolf and man. While he did not like the wolf, at least it was familiar for him.

There was a soft knock at his door. "Come in," he called.

"I just came by to see how you were doing," said Hermione.

"Nervous. I have no idea what's going to happen. I mean, I never really know what's going to happen when Nahima modifies the potion, but after the werehyena tonic blended with the Wolfsbane didn't do much, I stopped setting my hopes high. But since the blood moon partially reverses the transformation… I just don't know what to expect. Will I end up in that half-wolf, half-man form? Will it be something else? Will it halt the transformation completely or will it kill me?"

"I doubt it will kill you, so I don't think you have to worry about that," Hermione reassured.

"But we don't know that. What if the infection has become such a part of my system, a part of me, that eradicating it kills me?" This is something he had been contemplating more and more in recent days. He was sure the anxiety came from the fact that he had only known life as a lycanthrope and it was nothing more than an irrational fear, but that didn't seem to make it any easier to conquer.

Hermione sat on his sofa and patted next to her. "Come sit a minute," she urged gently. After a few moments he did as she asked. "Look. Nahima is brilliant. She has a full understanding of our standard potions ingredients and those native to Africa, including some pretty rare stuff that isn't written about in English herbology books. I know you are worried that she doesn't know a lot about the kivuli, but I can assure you that she been doing a lot of testing on it, making sure that it isn't toxic and won't combine with the other ingredients in a toxic manner. I mean, you've taken your other doses of potion this week without suffering any side-effects, right?"

He took a deep breath. "You're right. I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't worry so much."

She took his hands in hers. "It's okay to be nervous, a little scared. This is a potentially big step. But I highly doubt it will be a life threatening one. And no matter what happens, I'll be here for you." She placed her hand on his cheek.

"Even if I'm an invalid?" he joked.

She laughed softly. "Even if you are an invalid. I love you and it will be all right. Did you want me to walk down with you?"

"No. I'll be fine." He gave her a gentle kiss.

"I'll come join you for breakfast if you don't mind," she offered.

"I think I'd like that very much." He rose to his feet. "Thank you for calming my nerves."

She also rose and gave him a hug. "See you in the morning," she said before giving him a passionate kiss.

He didn't want to let go. "You shouldn't do that so close to the full moon," he replied as he nibbled her neck.

She pushed him away. "If you don't get going, we're going to have a problem. See you tomorrow morning." She then slipped out of his quarters.

Remus closed his eyes and took a deep, calming breath. Once he opened his eyes, he headed down to the dungeon.

Nahima had a broad smile on her face when he entered the observation room. She handed him the goblet of potion. "I am so excited for tonight. It is possible this could be a big breakthrough.

A part of Remus wanted to say, "Or a big failure," but he felt wrong ruining her enthusiasm. Instead he said, "I'm hoping for the best. Hopefully something will happen that will show this was a step in the right direction."

"Agreed. I only hope that I used enough kivuli. I was being mindful of using too much. I only wish that it is something that has been studied more extensively. I traveled back home on the Easter break in the hopes that some of the elders could provide me with more information, but it seems that no one has really found a use for the kivuli yet. I did find on healer who has experimented with it extensively, but unfortunately his mind is not what it once was. Rest assured, no harm should come to you." She patted his arm reassuringly.

Once he had drunk his potion, he set the goblet down on the table. "I'm as ready as I'm going to get," he announced before heading into the transformation chamber. By now, he had gotten over any embarrassment of undressing. That would be one advantage of finalizing a potion: he could once again spend moonrise in seclusion. Objectively he understood the rationale, but it didn't make it any less awkward.

After he divested himself of his clothes, he sat on the cushion and waited for the pull of the moon. He closed his eyes as he could feel the moon rising. He braced for the coming transformation. He could feel his fingers and toes changing, his body morphing, and then it stopped.

Confused, Remus tried standing, but it was difficult for him to balance because he was neither wolf nor man. He turned to the mirror when he heard a banging. Knowing Nahima wanted to come in and examine him, he used his arm/paw to beckon her into the room.

"Most amazing!" she said excitedly as she walked around him. "Ajabu!" With a flick of her wand, she cast a diagnostic spell. "This is even better than I had anticipated! Remus, you are more man than wolf. I think that perhaps if I increase the amount of kivuli, and possibly the concentration of the werehyena tonic, this may be it! That might stop the transformation!" She had a broad smile as she fought to control her excitement. "Are you in any pain?"

Remus shook his head.

"Can you speak?"

His mouth didn’t feel quite right. "I try," he said. He found that he couldn't pronounce the L sound, but it seemed that he did have some level of speech, which was more than usual when he could not make any human sounds.

"Excellent. Let me run a few tests before I let you rest for the evening."

"Okay."

Remus spent the next fifteen minutes doing various dexterity tests for her. As he had expected, his dexterity was much worse than normal, and he was fairly uncoordinated because he wasn't used to the body he was currently inhabiting.

"Thank you. Now why don't you try to get some rest," she said gently.

He wasn't sure that he would be comfortable on his usual cushion. "A bed?" he asked and pointed at the cushion.

"Of course," Nahima replied and with a flourish of her wand, transfigured the cushion into a cot like bed and she left to fetch a blanket for him.

* * *

Remus woke as the moon set and he regained his human form. It did not take him long to change back into his clothes and wait for Nahima to unlock the door.

"I hope you slept well," she said.

"I did. My new form was not as disorienting in sleep as it was when I was awake."

"Good. I am so pleased with the progress. With the blood samples you have given me, I'm hoping to be able to adjust the concentrations of the ingredients so that next month you will not transform."

He smiled at her. "I can hardly believe that day may come. It's something I have hoped for my entire life."

"And I will be so pleased to make it happen. How do you feel this morning?" she asked objectively.

"Not much different from any other morning." He was always stiff and sore in the morning and used to needing a few minutes to work the kinks out.

"I'll give you some time to recover before putting you through any more tests. I doubt they would turn up anything new, anyway. Go enjoy some breakfast."

He reached out and took her hands in his. "Nahima, I cannot thank you enough for everything you are doing."

"It is nothing. I have always loved a good puzzle, and this is the best one of all."

As he made his way back up to his quarters, he realized that he was barely using his cane at all, it was more out of habit than anything else. Upon arriving in his quarters, he checked the time and saw that he should have enough time for a quick shower before he could expect Hermione.

He had just finished pulling on his trousers when he heard her knock at the door. He threw on a shirt and opened the door and smiled warmly for her. "Good morning, Hermione."

"Good morning, Remus. How was last night?" she asked as she entered his quarters and went to the table to call for breakfast.

"Interesting," he replied as he abandoned buttoning his shirt.

"That's all I get?" she asked curiously.

He pulled her into his embrace. "Did you want details?"

She looked up into his eyes. "You know that I do."

He gave her a passionate kiss. "How about over lunch?" he offered, as he let her know how he was feeling by rubbing against her.

"Before breakfast?" she asked.

"Better than after," he retorted as he led her towards his bedroom.

* * *

Hermione barely made it to her morning class and was quite flustered and unprepared. Fortunately her second period class was scheduled to take a quiz, which would give her time to mentally prepare for the rest of the day.

As she proctored the quiz, her mind drifted to what had happened that morning. The last thing she had expected was for Remus to be amorous, not that she minded much, but she was still a bit surprised at how quickly their relationship was progressing after she had spent an entire semester trying to get his attention.

She was still curious how his transformation had been, but they had run out of time. It had been all she could do to grab a pastry as she rushed to her class. Unfortunately, she had a full morning of classes, so she wasn't likely to be able to get anything other than a few quick bites between classes. At least they had agreed to take lunch in the Great Hall, where they were likely to actually eat.

After what seemed like an eternity, where she tried not to be too cranky with her students, the morning classes came to an end. She was in the middle of cleaning up her classroom and desk when she heard a gentle knock on her door. She smiled as she looked up and saw Remus.

"Can I walk you to lunch, Professor Granger?"

"I'd enjoy that very much, Professor Lupin. And you will have to tell me about last night."

"Of course. We just ran out of time this morning, didn’t we?" he asked playfully.

"Indeed we did." She joined him and they walked together to the Great Hall to their usual seats at the end of the table.

Once Hermione had eaten a few bites of her lunch to slake the hunger from missing breakfast, she asked, "So was there an improvement?"

"Quite an improvement. It was an incomplete transformation where I found myself more man than wolf. Quite an odd sensation, actually. And incredibly disorienting. Nahima ran some tests and took some blood and says she's going to be adjusting the formula. Despite the fact no one has really found a use for the moon shade, it appears there is one. It seems to activate the anti-transformative properties of the werehyena tonic in lycanthropes. Of course, I'm just one person, and we would have to see if this could be replicated for others, but for the first time in my life, I can begin to see that I might be able to lead a nearly normal life."

"That would be amazing. I can't believe how close she is."

"It just seems unreal to me. Of course, something tells me that making this potion will be even more expensive than the original Wolfsbane. After all, cultivating enough of the moon shade flowers could be difficult since it would have to be done in a hothouse."

"Well, I talked to Pomona and it really is an easy plant all things considered. It just needs the tropical climate and to keep the soil moist. It could have been worse in that it couldn't be cultivated in a hothouse. I guess it all depends on how much the potion ends up needing since there are only two lunar eclipses a year." This was something she had been considering. She knew that it had been a difficult fight to get the Ministry to agree to provide Wolfsbane Potion at no cost to those afflicted, but it had become quite apparent to her, Kingsley and many of the new top staff at the Ministry that it was absolutely necessary and that it had been a great mistake to not have done so from the beginning. "And who knows, this might be the stepping stone to a cure," she said optimistically.

"While I enjoy your enthusiasm, I'm not sure. After all, the werehyena still have to take the tonic to prevent transformation. But even if it just stops the transformation, that will be more than any of us expected."

She put her hand on his. "I'll continue to hold out hope. But as you said, even if it doesn't, you can at least lead a mostly normal life."

"Something I can hardly believe is happening. How I felt this morning, it was almost like any other morning."

"I hadn't noticed," Hermione replied playfully.

He smiled slyly at her.

June 5, 2004

By the time Hermione, Remus and Teddy made it back to the castle, they could hear a raucous celebration in the Great Hall. Music was playing, green and silver Slytherin banners hung from the ceiling interspersed with the Hogwarts ones. There was ample food and drink on the tables and everyone seemed to be having a good time.

Hermione noticed that Evelyn Burke was the center of attention, and she seemed to be laughing and having a good time. She had definitely transformed from the shy student no one had expected to enter her name into the Goblet of Fire. She was now the school heroine, having won the Triwizard Tournament.

"Can we join in, dad?" Teddy asked as he looked expectantly at his father.

"Of course we can," Remus replied as Teddy took off to investigate the wonderful treats on the tables.

Hermione was pleased as she looked at the unity she saw from the students, something that had been missing for decades. "She did a marvelous job, didn't she?" Hermione asked.

"Absolutely brilliant," Remus replied as they headed towards the head table, stopping to grab pumpkin juice along the way.

Minerva was standing near the table, talking with Tacitus MacTavish, head of Slytherin House.

"Nice party," Remus said as they approached Minerva and Tacitus.

"It's not every day you win the Triwizard Tournament, is it? And this is better than having them party in their common rooms."

"I agree," replied Hermione, remembering how events had transpired when she was student. "This needs to be for the whole school, not just one house." She looked over at Evelyn. "I'm still surprised she put her name in the Goblet."

"I'm not," replied Tacitus. When Hermione looked at him quizzically, he elaborated. "We had a long talk about it. After everything that transpired, she kept quiet, thinking that drawing attention to her House would be a bad thing. She told me she hated feeling constrained, feeling like people would hate her if she sought attention. I told her that I thought putting her name in the Goblet was exactly what she needed to do, that she needed to show everyone that being sorted to Slytherin is not based on a single dimension. Hopefully this will finally heal the rift that has existed between Houses for far too long."

Minerva replied, "I daresay that it has. Hopefully everyone will now keep their minds open, no matter where the Sorting Hat has put them. No one realized it at the time, but the Goblet selecting Ms. Burke is exactly what this school needed."

As dinner time approached, Remus finally coaxed Teddy away from the party. He had been a favorite with the students because of his Metamorphmage talent. "Aw, dad, we're having so much fun," Teddy complained.

Remus smiled warmly at his son. "I know, but you've had enough fun for now. It's time to settle down for the evening." He wasn't sure how much he would get his son to settle down given the amount of sweets he had eaten.

The three of them tried to have a quiet dinner, but Teddy was far too hyped up from the party, though Remus did manage to get him to at least a little bit of his dinner. He knew that he was in for a long night because there was no way he was going to take Teddy back to Andromeda's house in this state. Not that he minded Teddy spending the night in the castle because Hermione had stayed with him last time. He hoped she would do so again.

It was nearly eleven by the time Teddy finally crashed and Remus tucked him in for the night..

"I'm glad you stayed," Hermione said.

"I couldn't very well unleash that on Andromeda, could I?" he asked gesturing at Teddy.

Hermione laughed softly. "No, I'm sure she would not have appreciated it." She draped her arms over his shoulders. "And now I have you for the rest of the night."

He put his hands on her hips. "That you do. I find I quite like this arrangement," he said before pulling her closer for a passionate kiss, which she eagerly returned before they made their way to his bedroom.

June 12, 2004

In the middle of June, Remus and Hermione were sitting together on the porch of the cottage in Cornwall that had quickly become their favorite place, enjoying wine while watching the sunset. Hermione was leaned up against him, completely at ease and comfortable with his arm wrapped around her shoulder. She knew that end of term was coming soon, and she had hoped that Remus would have brought up something about his plans for the summer. Of course, it was easier for him since he was sharing the house with Andromeda. Hermione had yet to secure a permanent residence and had spent last summer traveling. She had waited so long because she had hoped he would have brought something up first. There were times she felt that he didn’t appreciate when she pushed their relationship further, that she was trying to go faster than he was. She didn't want this to be one of those times, but she knew the term was coming to end this upcoming week.

"Remus?" she asked tentatively, feeling the time was right now that they had enjoyed dinner and were relaxing together.

"Yes, love?"

She could tell that he was enjoying a gentle buzz from the wine, but was not drunk. "How are we going to handle the summer?"

"What do you mean?" he asked, clearly not having thought much about it.

"I mean, we see each other just about every day, get away a weekend here and there…" she trailed off, expecting him to connect the dots.

"I guess I was just living in the moment and hadn't thought about it. Obviously, I'm going to want to spend time with Teddy as neither of us has school. Beyond that…"

She could tell he was uncomfortable making plans for her. "I like to travel during the summer, and if you and Teddy wanted to join me, I think it would be fun."

He momentarily froze. "Both of us?"

"I enjoy spending time with Teddy, and he should get used to the two of us together, shouldn't he?" she hinted.

Remus considered her words for a few moments. "I suppose that he should. You're sure you're okay with this?"

"I wouldn't have asked if I wasn't. I love you, and I know he will always be a part of your life. I'm definitely willing to make him part of my life, and I think traveling this summer will help with that."

Remus gave her a squeeze. "How did I get so lucky to find you? To have you accept me, my son, all of it?"

"I think I may be the lucky one. After Ron and a few others near my age, I had more or less give up on having a relationship. Then you arrived at Hogwarts, and all that changed."

"When did it change?" he asked curiously.

Hermione thought back over the previous school year. "That weekend before school started. I was sitting by the beach just contemplating the waves and how relaxing it was and what a great idea you had given me, and my mind drifted to how attractive I thought you were."

He chuckled softly. "Scruffy is more like it."

"Who's to say that scruffy isn't attractive?" she mused. "When did it change for you?"

"That would have to be the Yule Ball kiss. Oh, I knew that you liked me, but I wasn’t looking for anyone and was quite content to be alone, to not be a burden on anyone."

"You aren't a burden," she retorted gently.

"But I am." He leaned his head against her. "I'll need someone to see to my potion. Of course, I'm not quite the burden after transformation I used to be, but I'll need someone to make sure I'm safe during transformation if Nahima's potion doesn't work out."

"That's not much of a burden, Remus," she countered.

"It might not seem like it. But there is so much involved with my condition. It has already taken a tremendous toll on me. While there aren't many studies on lycanthropes, especially ones bitten as young as I was, I would find it highly unlikely I would live much past 80."

"That's still more than 30 years from now. And who knows what effect the work Nahima is doing will have on you," she retorted optimistically.

"Even if she finds a way to stop the transformation, I've probably prematurely aged twenty years."

"You wear it well. I find it distinguished." She reached up and brushed his hair, which was now more grey than brown with her hand.

"That's just a polite way of saying old," he countered.

She put her wine down and straddled his lap. "Not in this case. I don't care whether we have five years or fifty together. All I care about is that we are together." She leaned forward and gave him a deep kiss.

"You would consent to being Mrs. Lupin?" he asked when they broke the kiss.

"Absolutely. How about next summer?"

"How about next summer, what?" he asked, not exactly following her train of thought.

"Our wedding," she said as she laughed softly.

A momentary look of shock crossed his face. "I guess I did propose, didn't I?"

"You did. I just figured this summer is too soon and with school that would be the most convenient time, though there are the Christmas and Easter breaks."

"No. I think summer will work best. Though perhaps I can spend more time at the castle after Teddy is in bed."

"Maybe the two of you could move to the castle, and he could use the Floo to get to Andromeda's house for school, and then you could get him once your last class is done?"

"It's something I'll have to figure out eventually if I want to spend more time with you and still have time for Teddy, isn't it?"

"I'm sure Minerva wouldn't mind if another of her professors was not a regular at breakfast or dinner."

He arched an eyebrow at her.

"I thought perhaps we could share quarters the next school year. It would simplify things a lot."

"It would. Though perhaps we make those decisions after this summer. I may have some sort of habit that drives you crazy."

"I think I would have figured that out by now."

"Well, you don't live with me full time. Maybe I cut my toenails while sitting at the table," he teased.

She playfully slapped at him. "I'm sure you don't. I will warn you, you will have to put up with me having multiple books open at a time."

"I've seen how neat you are. You don't do it for a long time." He started kissing at her neck. "You will have to deal with the wolf in me as we approach full moon."

She raised her head, letting him nibble at her neck. "I rather like those days," she replied.

"I hadn't noticed," he said as he gently urged her off his lap so that he could rise and lead her back inside their cottage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many thanks to everyone who has reviewed or left kudos to this story. I hope you enjoyed it. I'm finally getting around to archiving my older stories here. I plan to do one chapter of my drabbles (100 word fics) a day, a one-shot fiction, and one chapter of my chaptered stories. I encourage you to take a look. The characters featured will generally be Lucius Malfoy, Severus Snape or Remus Lupin, though not always. I'll try to mix it up so I'm not always posting stories featuring the same main character day after day. I also have a few new fics in the works that may pop up from time to time.


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